Purulia arms drop case: CBI Director hopeful about Danish national’s extradition

BHOPAL - Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Ashwani Kumar has said he is hopeful about securing the extradition of Danish national Kim Davy, the prime accused in the 1995 Purulia arms drop case.

Kumar noted that certain legal formalities are to be completed for the custody of Kim Davy.

“We are trying for his (Kim Davy’s) extradition since 2002 and Denmark government has agreed for it. Diplomacy has also agreed. Only the legal process remains since Kim Davy has filed an application in a court there that he doesn’t want to be extradited. India has given them all the guarantees but now we’ll have to fight the case because Kim Davy also has his rights and he doesn’t want the extradition,” said Ashwani Kumar.

“Thus, we will have to fight the case and hire a lawyer. We’ll fight the case and we have good evidence and government of Denmark is with us and I am sure we’ll be able to get him soon,” he added.

The Interpol had recently informed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that the Denmark authorities have decided to extradite Purulia arms drop case mastermind Kim Davy aka Neils Holck to India.

CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal had said the Interpol would facilitate the extradition of Davy to India after receipt of documents formally from the Danish authorities though diplomatic channels.

The CBI accused Davy as the person behind arms drop near Anand Marg ashram in West Bengal’s Purulia District.

On April 9, the Danish Police apprehended Davy.

The CBI said Davy has demanded that the legality of the decision should be tried by the Danish courts.

The CBI also accused Davy for conspiring to procure a huge quantity of arms and ammunition and to traffic it illegally into Indian territory for the purpose of waging war against India.

In course of investigation, the CBI had revealed that the aircraft AN-26 having call sign YLLDB had flown over the sky at West Bengal’s Jhalda Police Station on the night of 17 and 18 December 1995, while it was coming from Varanasi to Calcutta and dropped huge quantity of arms and ammunition.

The immigration authorities at the Sahara International Airport in Mumbai, where it was forcefully landed on 22 December 1995, detained the crewmembers of the aircraft-Peter Bleach and five other Latavian citizens-Alexender Klichin, Igor Moskvitine, Oleg Gaidach, Evgueni Antimenko and Igor Timmerman.

Davy, who was said to be in the aircraft managed to escape from the airport.

The investigators recovered several articles such as arms, ammunition, laptop and brief case of Davy, G.P.S. flight data recorder, Cockpit Voice Recorder, Velocity height gravity recorder from the aircraft.

On conclusion of trial, all the six accused persons were sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs. 25,000/- each under section 121A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and for violating Explosives Substances Act, 1908. (ANI)