GUWAHATI, June 16 � China connection of the militant groups of the North East region has come to the forefront once again as the security agencies have recently come to know that DHD(J) commander in chief Niranjan Hojai went to that country a few months before the outfit surrendered arms in 2009.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved the Ministry of External Affairs for initiating probe into the properties acquired by the DHD (J) leaders in foreign countries.
Highly placed official sources told The Assam Tribune that the security agencies have come to know about the China visit of Hojai only recently. In fact, the militant leader, who is now kept in a paying cabin of the Guwahati Medical College Hospital, had visited several other countries before he surrendered arms along with other members of the outfit on October 2, 2009.
Sources revealed that Hojai was using a Nepali passport issued on August 3, 2008 in the name of Nirmal Rai. In the passport, his date of birth was shown as February 3, 1980. The photograph in the passport was of Hojai.
From the visa attachments in the passport, the security agencies have come to know details of his foreign visits. On the basis of that passport, Hojai was given Chinese visa for a period of three months from December 8, 2008 to March 8, 2009. He also visited Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia on the basis of that passport. Interestingly, he also visited South Africa and in the visa of that country, the purpose of the visit was �holidaying�.
It may be mentioned here that the security agencies have been alleging for years that the militant outfits from the region have been procuring weapons from China and the reason for Hojai�s visit to that country may be meeting contacts for weapon procurement, sources added.
Meanwhile, the ED has completed the first round of questioning of all the 14 accused in the money laundering case in North Cachar Hills. Officials of the ED questioned Hojai in the GMCH, while the chairman of the outfit Jewel Garlosa was questioned in the special jail in the headquarters of the Special Branch of the Assam Police.
Official sources said that the DHD(J) leaders have allegedly procured properties in foreign countries and the ED has already moved the Ministry of External Affairs to take up the matter with the concerned countries so that a thorough probe can be launched in this regard. The Special Court, Assam, has already issued the Letter of Request needed for launching such probes in foreign countries under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
