NIA files charge sheet against 16 persons in funds defalcation case

NEW DELHI - The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday filed charge sheet against sixteen accused persons in the case of defalcation of funds, in a Special Court in Guwahati.

The case is related to transferring development funds to terrorists.

The investigation of the case revealed involvement of sixteen accused including Government servants, contractors, politicians and terrorists of the DHD(J) in conspiring to defalcate huge amounts of developmental funds allocated to the North Cachar Hills Council (now Dimahasao district) for the procurement of Arms and for other activities of the terrorist gang, the DHD(J) in order to wage war against the State, said an official release.

A case (No 02/09 of NIA) was registered on June 5, 2009 vide order of Ministry of Home Affairs regarding taking over of case 03/09 of PS Diyungmukh, North Cachar Hills, Assam.

The Charge Sheet was filed against the accused under sections U/S 120B, 121, 121(A) IPC, section 16,17,18,19,20, UA(P) Act 1967 and section 25(1)(d) of Arms Act.

During investigation of the case, the NIA was able to establish the fact that huge amounts of developmental funds were defalcated by the members of the autonomous Hill Council namely Mohet Hojai and Golon Daulagupu with the help of Government servants namely Karuna Saikia (Addl Chief Engineer, PHE), Radaul Hussain Khan (Dy Director Social Welfare) and contractors namely Jibangsu Paul, Phojendra Hojai, JK Ghosh, Sandeep Ghosh and Debashis Bhattacharjee. These funds were transferred to the terrorists through Kolkata with the help of couriers/Hawala operators.

It was also found during investigation by the NIA that the funds finally reached the Arms dealer Vanlalchhana of Mizoram through operators at Kolkata named Malsawmkimi and George Lawmthang.

This Arms dealer Vanlalchhana further supplied Arms for the DHD(J) on the directions of the Commander-in-Chief Niranjan Hojai and the Chairman Jewel Garlosa. A large number of sophisticated Arms including 27 AK series rifles and M-16 rifles were recovered during investigation by the NIA.

NIA also arrested two more cadres of the DHD(J) namely Ahshringdao Waris and Samir Ahmed who were actively associated with DHD(J) Chairman Jewel Garlosa.

The investigation of the case was spread over five States of India namely Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Karnataka and West Bengal.

The case also had international dimensions with the leaders of the DHD(J) reaching out to Nepal, Thailand, Singapore and Myanmar for conducting and supervising operations in North Cachar Hills by remaining away from the areas of operations.

The Commander-in-Chief of the DHD(J), Niranjan Hojai used his contacts in Myanmar to organize the procurement of Arms for the DHD(J) utilizing the defalcated funds from the North Cachar Hills.

He then channelled the supply of arms with the help of Arms dealers of Mizoram through the Mizoram-Myanmar border, said an official release. (ANI)