Tura, Aug 30: Less than 24-hours after BJP MDC from Tura Bernard N Marak alias Rimpu, who is also the party’s state vice-president, managed to obtain judicial custody and was shifted to Tura district jail after being in police custody at Tura police station for almost a month, the Court of CJM, Tura, on Tuesday once again allowed the arrest of Bernard.

His arrest has been allowed in Tura PS Case No. 189(08)2022 u/s 120B/384/417/419/420/467/468/471 IPC related with the activities of Meghalaya Chamber of Commerce.

Accordingly, he will be arrested on Wednesday from Tura jail and forwarded to court. “He (Bernard) will be arrested tomorrow from Tura jail and forwarded to court,” said West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police Vivekanand Singh Rathore.

The current case relates to illegal raising of prices of essential commodities in Tura and illegal collection from traders. Bernard is the adviser of the Meghalaya Chamber of Commerce, an alleged illegal group formed by him and his supporter and BJP leader Wilver Danggo which has been behind the price rise of all essential commodities in Tura because of which citizens of Tura town have been suffering, having to pay double the cost in their daily and weekly shoppings.

Meanwhile, the self-styled president of the Meghalaya chamber of commerce and BJP leader Wilver Danggo has reportedly gone into hiding to avoid being arrested, inform police. He is wanted for allegedly pushing traders to raise prices of food meant for the public and also for demanding money in the form of commissions.

Short-lived judicial custody of Bernard 

Bernard Marak was sent to the Jail on Monday night since the police custody against him for possession of explosives ended on Sunday.

He already got judicial custody in the first case of Immoral Trafficking that involved the rape of a minor girl by a man inside his farmhouse.

But he was sent back to police custody by the Tura court in connection with the recovery of explosives like gelatin sticks and bows and arrows from his farmhouse during a raid.

Bernard was due to end his police custody last week itself, but he got infected with Covid during his tenure in the Tura police station and was sent to hospital for treatment under judicial custody. He had four remaining days of police custody at that time, which has since been completed since his discharge.