GUWAHATI, Sept 6 � Members of the militant groups always claim that they are fighting for the cause of the common people, but recently the attempts of the militants to gather personal property with funds extorted from the common people came to light when the Enforcement Directorate attached the properties of three members of a Manipur-based militant group.
Highly placed official sources told The Assam Tribune that it was the first such case of the office of the Enforcement Directorate in the North East and the charge-sheet for the same has already been filed. Sources said that the case, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, was registered in September last year and during the course of the investigation, it was found that three militants of Manipur-based militant group PREPAK gathered properties in Imphal town from the money collected in the name of the outfit.
Sources said that the militants K Premjit Singh, his wife K Elizabeth Devi and sister Sanajaobi Devi indulged in large-scale extortions from cross-sections of people including Government officers, traders and even common people for the PREPAK to wage a war against the nation. Though initially cases were registered against them under the provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, because of the fact that the accused were involved in money laundering, a case was registered by the Enforcement Directorate.
The directorate found that the accused purchased a plot of land in Imphal town in the name of K Elizabeth Devi by diverting a portion of the fund collected in the name of PREPAK and started construction of a house in the plot. The official value of the plot and the under-construction house is estimated to the tune of around Rs 12 lakh. Following the filing of the chargesheet, the property has been attached and it is perhaps for the first time in the region that properties gathered by militants with extorted funds have been attached. Sources said that following the trial of the case, the property is likely to be confiscated by the Government of India.
Sources further revealed that all the three accused are now absconding. However, Premjit Singh, a hardcore militant, was arrested earlier by police under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, but he managed to jump bail. His wife and sister joined the militant group much later.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Enforcement has started the process of thorough checking of the mobile phone records of all the accused in a case registered following the busting of a hawala racket by the police in the Fancybazar area of the city. The racket was busted by the city police, which led to the recovery of Rs 24 lakh in cash. But the case was later handed over to the Enforcement Directorate and during the course of preliminary investigations, it was found that those involved in the racket had contacts with other such rackets all over the country for illegal transfer of money.
This was the second hawala racket that came to light in the city in recent months. Sources revealed that the racket that used to transfer funds allotted to the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council to the leaders of the DHD(J) was the first major hawala racket to be identified in Guwahati city. But the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made those involved with the same the witnesses to the case.
