New Delhi: The questioning of Maoist leader Dinesh Gope, has led the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to the recovery of a huge cache of ammunition from a forest in the Kamdara area of Jharkhand’s Gumla district, an official said on Saturday.
Gope, the supremo of Jharkhand-based Maoist outfit People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), who had a reward of Rs 30 lakh on his head, was arrested in Delhi following a raid by the NIA on May 21, officials said.
He was arrested in connection with the PLFI terror-funding case.
“The seizure included 1,245 rounds of 7.62 mm and 271 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition. The seized ammunition was received at Siksohara, Nalanda (Bihar) about two years ago. It had been carefully stashed away for delivery to PLFI operatives and cadres for carrying out acts of terror and violence,” said the NIA.
An official said that Gope was involved in more than 102 criminal cases.
These cases were registered against him in Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha. Most of these cases relate to murders, abductions, threats, extortion, and raising funds for the PLFI.
“The NIA had also declared a reward of Rs 5 lakh for leads on Dinesh, in addition to the reward of Rs 25 lakh announced by the Jharkhand government. He had been absconding for almost two decades,” said the official.
On February 3, 2022, an encounter took place between a Dinesh-led PLFI group and security personnel in the forest area under Gudri Police station of West Singbhum district of Jharkhand.
Several rounds were fired in the encounter before the rebels sneaked into the forest and Gope managed to escape. He had been absconding since then, and had been taking shelter at different places while making all efforts to re-establish the PLFI’s stronghold in Jharkhand.
“Gope used to extort money and execute attacks through his PLFI team members to terrorise businessmen, contractors and the public at large. The accused, along with his associates, was involved in depositing the demonetised currency in a bank account at a Petrol Pump, to be later collected through levy/extortion. The illegal money was then invested through banking channels and dubious shell companies in the name of close associates and family members of Gope,” said the official.
The case was initially registered on November 10, 2016 at PS Bero, Ranchi, and re-registered by the NIA on January 19, 2018.
The police filed the first chargesheet against four persons on January 9, 2017.
The NIA filed the first supplementary charge sheet in the case against 11 accused, including Gope.
Later, the NIA filed the second supplementary chargesheet in the case on July 23, 2022, against five individuals and three private companies.
The NIA had also attached 14 bank accounts and two cars, along with cash and immovable property worth more than a crore, in the case.
Known previously as the Jharkhand Liberation Tigers (JLT), PLFI is responsible for hundreds of terror incidents in Jharkhand, including several murders using firearms, as per the NIA investigations.
The outfit used to lure unemployed youth by providing them motorcycles, mobile phones and easy money and after imparting training, used to equip them with lethal weapons to carry out terror incidents.
Dinesh was part of a criminal conspiracy to channelise the extorted funds collected from the contractors/businessmen engaged in the developmental projects in Jharkhand.
(IANS)
