The Hindu : National : “Funds for North Cachar Hills used for arms deals”

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 21, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

“Funds for North Cachar Hills used for arms deals”

Sushanta Talukdar

Guwahati: Money diverted from the development fund of Assam’s North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) to the militant outfit Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel Garlosa faction) has gone to Thailand, Singapore and Nepal for procuring illegal arms. This was stated by the National Investigation Agency in its charge sheet. It revealed that the money siphoned off for arms deals was converted to dollars in Kolkata.

An arms dealer of Mizoram, Vanlalchhana, one of the 14 persons named in the charge sheet, had visited Kathmandu to hand over the money to another accused in the case, the self-styled commander-in-chief of DHD (Jewel), Niranjan Hojai.

Vanlalchhana had converted more than Rs. 1 crore to dollars at least three times for Niranjan Hojai. The money was siphoned off by the former Chief Executive Member (CEM), NCHAC, Mohet Hojai, and Deputy Director of Social Welfare Department R.H. Khan, both named in the charge sheet and currently in judicial custody. Vanlalchhana revealed that he used to get one rupee for every dollar which he got converted for Niranjan Hojai.

The charge sheet revealed that Vanlalchhana visited Singapore and Thailand and met DHD (Jewel) chairman Jewel Garlosa and Hojai.

Vanlalchhana’s arrest led to the recovery of a consignment of weapons meant for the DHD (Jewel) hidden at a place in the Mizoram capital, Aizawl. The recovery included eight M-16 rifles made in Singapore, one 9 mm Beretta pistol, 12 walkie-talkie sets along with 12 chargers and one Bushnell telescope.

The probe revealed that a portion of funds allotted to the two main departments — Social Welfare and Public Health Engineering — was utilised by the DHD (Jewel).

The probe pertained to a case registered by the Basistha police station in Guwahati on the recovery of Rs. 1 crore in cash and two pistols from two of the accused Phojendra Hojai and Babul Kemprai Road on April 1, 2009.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National