Forensic test confirmed poison; three more arrested

Aizawl, Aug 28 (UNI) With the confirmation of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report police arrested three more persons allegedly pouring poison in Tlawng river, the main drinking water source of the state capital.

The accused persons have been remanded in police custody for 14 days.

Police sources here today said that Vanlalzawna (30) and Lalthlengkima (21) both of Maubawk locality and Lalmalsawma (19) a youth from Tripura currently residing in Bungkawn locality were arrested after initial investigation.

Earlier, Malsawma, a resident of Tlangnuam locality, was arrested for using an insecticide called Cipermatrine to catch fish in the river stream.

The PHE officials discovered dead riverine animals in the streams that supply drinking water to the state capital. It has been confirmed by both police and the FSL that it was the people trying to catch fish and other stream animals using insecticides who had contaminated the water.

Forensic expert Sangchungnunga said the water testing report has confirmed the presence of insecticide Endosulfan in the dead fish apart from Cipermatrine.

''We have confirmed through tests that the fish died of endosulfan poisoning, which is among chemicals that has been grouped as organo-chloro insecticide and is a very powerful poison even for humans,'' he said.

According to experts, these chemicals, if consumed by humans, can bring about cancer as they lodge inside the body. Even if they do not have immediate effects, the long term effects can be debilitating and even fatal.

FSL said it used what is known as international B class tests to verify their findings in the water supply poisoning case which is called Thin Layer Chromatograph Method. U V Spectrophotamatic technique was also employed to ascertain the results.

Meanwhile, Public Health Engineering department has started pumping water again after cleaning all the reservoirs and main pipes and will be operating on a normal basis from today.

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