NIA Arrests Key Accused In Jharkhand's Terror Funding Case

The NIA has arrested a key accused in the PLFI terror funding case for his alleged involvement in converting extortion money into legitimate means using a dubious company, an official said.

Fuleshwar Gope, 44, a resident of Jharkhand's Gumla district, was arrested on Monday, an NIA spokesperson said.

The case, filed under relevant provisions of the IPC, UA(P) Act and Criminal Law Amendment Act, pertains to the seizure of Rs 25.38 lakh from Dinesh Gope, the chief of PLFI (People's Liberation of India), a banned Maoist organisation of Jharkhand, he said.

The money was about to be deposited in a bank in Ranchi by the associates of Dinesh on November 10, 2016 but four accused were arrested on the same day and the case was charge-sheeted on January 9, 2017, the official said.

The NIA, after taking up the investigation of the case on January 19, 2018, arrested six more accused, conducted searches and seized properties worth Rs 90 lakh and other incriminating documents, he said.

Bail of the four accused was cancelled and the first supplementary charge-sheet in the case was filed on October 21, 2019 against the 10 arrested accused and one missing accused -- Dinesh, the official said.

During further investigation, Hira Devi and Sakuntala Kumari, both wives of Dinesh, were arrested on January 30, 2020 and his two associates -- Jaiprakash Singh Bhuiya and Amit Deswal were arrested on March 2, he said.

Fuleshwar had conspired with Dinesh and formed a dubious company named -- M/s Shiv Shaktisamridhhi Infra Pvt. Ltd -- in partnership with Dinesh's first wife Hira Devi for channelising the extorted levy amount into legitimate means by depositing it in the bank account of the said dubious company, the NIA official said.

The company became a frontal company to legitimise levy amounts collected by Dinesh and to invest them in properties, he said.

The profit earned by the company was intended to be used for furtherance of terrorist activities of PLFI, the NIA official said.

Fuleshwar Gope was produced before a special NIA court in Ranchi which remanded him to four days of NIA custody.

Further investigation in the case was underway.