A major fire broke out at CID office building at Babupara in Imphal West early Monday.
According to sources, the fire suspected to have been caused by short circuit, broke out around 1.45 am and razed the office while all the documents, files and other items went into flames.
The offices of IG (Intelligence), SP VIP Security, SP Crime Branch, SP Technical and a branch of Cyber crime office are located inside the CID Office complex.
As per a personnel posted at the Arms Kote of SP VIP Security, it is suspected that the fire may have started by an electric short-circuit inside a room located at the Fingerprint section under SP Crime Branch. He first saw the fire around 2 am at the mentioned room, he said. He also heard someone shouting and raising the alarm from 1st MR, he added.
Imphal Fire service expressed that they received information of the fire rather late at 2.30 am. When a team of the Fire service arrived at the site, most of the offices were already burnt down.
As they could not bring the inferno under control, additional fire tenders were called in from Thoubal, Yairipok, Bishnupur and Kangpokpi Fire Stations.
During the fire, around four-five live bombs which were kept at the Security Arms Kote exploded. Even after the fire had gone out, the details of the remaining arms and ammunition at the Arms kote and the extent of damage are yet to be ascertained as it is unsafe to enter due to the residual heat of the fire.
Although all the documents, files and computers have been burnt to cinders, the highly expensive equipment of the Bomb Disposal Squad kept under the SP Technical were found untouched by the fire.
The efforts to extinguish the fire continued even after 8 am. At the CID office, four officials namely IGP (Int) Nishit kumar Ujjwal; SP (CID Technical) Bembem Nongthombam; , SP (CID Security) Dr B Dhanapyari and SP (CID Crime Branch) Joyce Lalremmawi were assigned posts, as per sources.
Meanwhile, the total damages of the properties and their worth have not been estimated yet by the Fire Service as the SP offices have not submitted their respective lists with details.
However, some of the arms and ammunition, which were handed over by the UG cadres while surrendering to the authorities, have been reportedly damaged. A list of the damaged arms is also yet to be received by the Fire services. It is also learnt that a signal jammer and a metal detector have also gone into flames.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Biren Singh while making a statement after the zero hour at the ongoing second session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly mentioned that except for some photographs all the important data are saved in digital forms.
He informed the House that the fire damaged around 75 per cent of the old CID office building but with timely response from Manipur Fire Service, no further damage was caused to the adjacent buildings of CRPF barrack and Southern Block Old Secretariat building.
Manipur Fire Service said that fire was suspected to be caused by an electric short circuit, he added.
Most of the data stored at the CID office, including for Crime Branch; Crime Branch (Technical); Crime Branch (Security); Cyber Crime had already been converted to digital formats except for photographs of some prisoners. The data are saved in digital formats and the photograph of those in jail will be taken again, he added.
WATCH: #Breaking News | Fire breaks out at CID office at Babupara Imphal West
