New Delhi: The enforcement directorate (ED), which is probing money-laundering charges against several Jharkhand-based Naxal operatives, is collecting details about absconding members of the banned Left Wing extremist organisation Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) from the state police.
According to sources, the agency is in constant touch with Jharkhand Police and is collecting all crucial details about the absconding TPC members. “Since several TPC members had been arrested by the state police in the recent past, Jharkhand police is also sharing details pertaining to the absconding members with the central probe agency,” sources said. The ED had recently registered money-laundering cases against TPC members on the basis of state police FIRs, they added.
The ED is preparing to initiate the process to attach their (absconding TPC members) properties, worth several crores, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The central agency recently attached assets of several other Jharkhand-based Naxal operatives.
The money-laundering cases pertains “to illegal collection of levy from the contractors and coal merchants through criminal extortion and intimidation in Magadh-Amrapali coal area in Chatra district of Jharkhand by members of banned Left wing extremist organisation TPC. TPC has been banned by the Jharkhand government and most of its cadres are former members of the CPI (Maoist).
The ED case was filed on the basis of state police FIRs against the accused. Accused namely Binod Kumar Ganjhu, Pradeep Ram along with other Naxals were running local committees in name “Magadh Organising Committee” and “Amrapali Shanti Samiti” and in the guise of these committees, the accused used to extort levy from contractors, transporters, delivery order holders and coal merchants which was further handed over to the members of TPC, sources alleged.
