Chhattisgarh Police Busts Maoist Terror Funding; 5 Maoist Associates Arrested by Mohla Manpur Police

The Mohla Manpur police on Saturday busted a fund-raising wing of a banned Maoist organisation (CPI-Maoist) in Chhattisgarh by arresting five men, which led to the unravelling of an intricate network employed for terror funding and extortion.

The arrests were part of a previous operation against Maoist associate Sarju Tekam, in whom explosive materials and other incriminating documents were recovered, according to IG Rajnandgaon Range Deepak Kumar Jha.

Urban Network and Financing from Terror

While investigations revealed that Tekam played a major supporting role for the Maoists' urban network to spread their ideology and terror funding. During his trip to Delhi again, the police came to know that he had received money from Vivek Singh of Raipur, a resident of Mohla Manpur. Singh then got funds from Tekam and had tickets booked through the online website.

Extortion and Terror Funding

More investigations into Singh’s operations revealed a sordid connection between extortion and funding of terror. By their acts, it has been disclosed that Singh was having a bank account in the State Bank of Mauritius (Mumbai branch), where funds extracted from tendu patta contractors were being routed through.

“The other Maoist enablers—Sonaram Farsa, Vijay Durri, Ramlal Karma, and Rajendra Kadti—all belonging to Bijapur district were also found linked with the extortion racket.”

Staggering Extortion Targets

The Maoists set a Rs. 1 crore extortion target for the year 2022 and collected up to Rs. 60 lakhs within just eight months. With this money, the Maoists stocked their ammunition, including cash and rations, as well as medicine, helping them for more operations.

As per investigative agencies, the Maoist commander in Bhairamgarh was very close to Rajendra Kadti's brother, and he played a very important role in getting money demanded by Tekam deposited into Vivek Singh´s account.

Police Action

The police had gathered enough evidence, and they arrested Vivek Singh along with the four Maoist associates. The arrests are a significant blow to the Maoists' urban network and terror fund generation ambition.

Continued Vigilance

IG Deepak Kumar Jha said the police will go all out to root out the Maoist network and ensure that each and every person involved in terror activities is brought under the ambit of law. People should stay informed and report anything suspicious to authorities, he stressed. The operation is a grim indication of Maoists' constant attempts to disturb the peace and harmony in the region.