Imphal: Postal services in Manipur’s Ukhrul district have been suspended indefinitely after a mail van carrying consignments for Ukhrul, Somdal and Kamjong post offices was allegedly intercepted by unidentified miscreants on National Highway-202 on Monday.
According to the Ukhrul Postmaster, the vehicle was stopped near Shangkai Kuki village, where 37 mail bags were seized and later set on fire.
An FIR has been lodged at Litan Police Station, and postal authorities have initiated legal action into the incident.
The destroyed consignments reportedly contained several essential items, including passports, ATM cards, educational certificates, personal parcels, food items, clothing and other important documents meant for delivery to residents across the district.
The Ukhrul Post Office suffered the heaviest loss, with 32 mail bags destroyed. These included 23 parcel bags, two speed post bags, three ordinary mail bags and two registered letter bags.
The Somdal Post Office lost four mail bags, comprising one parcel bag, two speed post bags, and one ordinary mail bag, while one mail bag belonging to the Kamjong Post Office was also destroyed.
Following the incident, postal operations across Ukhrul district have been suspended until further orders from higher authorities, the postmaster said.
Meanwhile, the Working Committee of the Kuki Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Ukhrul, which is enforcing an indefinite counter-economic blockade in the district, acknowledged that an India Post vehicle had been intercepted.
However, it claimed the truck was transporting vegetables and grocery items along with legitimate postal consignments and did not mention the alleged burning of the mail bags.