The Nagaland Police have booked Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Reny Wilfred, a native of Kerala, in connection with multiple complaints of alleged sexual assault received over the years.
Wilfred, who served as Joint Secretary in the Planning and Transformation Department and the Industrial Development Authority of Nagaland, was relieved of his duties with immediate effect by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&R) following the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) on April 4.
According to official sources, the Nagaland State Women Commission (NSWC) recorded verbal statements from several alleged victims, which were forwarded to the police's investigation team.
This is not the first time Wilfred has faced such allegations. During his tenure as the first Deputy Commissioner of Noklak district in 2020–21, he was booked for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor sisters, aged 14 and 17, reportedly from the Khiamniungan Naga community.
In 2021, the Nagaland Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Wilfred was summoned to appear before the Special POCSO Court in Tuensang but allegedly delayed proceedings by seeking a stay from the High Court. While the stay was initially granted, it was subsequently revoked. In June 2023, he moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay, but the court directed him to participate in the proceedings via video conferencing.
According to reports and legal filings, Wilfred is accused of “deliberately and wilfully committing perjury.” He has claimed that the matters mentioned in the police reports had already been settled between the parties involved. He also questioned the validity of the victims’ verbal testimonies and the credibility of a report submitted by the Khiamniungan Tribal Council (KTC).