Terror funding case: Maoist linkman Manoj Choudhary arrested by NIA from West Bengal's Hoogly district

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested a Maoist linkman identified as Manoj Choudhary in connection with a terror funding case.

He was nabbed from West Bengal’s Hooghly district in connection with a case pertaining to seizure of a huge cache of arms and ammunition at Akbakitand village in Giridih district.

Choudhary, who hails from Jharkhand’s Giridih district, was at large for the past three years and had been evading arrest. However, on Saturday he was arrested from Hooghly district in the early hours and then produced before NIA Special Court in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

The court has remanded him to five days of NIA custody.

“The Case pertains to the seizure of huge cache of arms and ammunition at Akbakitand village, Giridih District, Jharkhand leading to the arrest of 15 operatives of CPI (Maoists) including SAC member Sunil Manjhi. A case was registered as FIR No.26/2018 on 06.03.2018 at Dumri Police Station in Giridih District u/s 141,121A,124A,120B of IPC, 25(1AA), 25 (1B)a, 26, 35 of Arms Act, u/s 3,4,5 of Explosive Substances Act, 17 of CLA Act and u/s 13,16,17,18,19,20,21 of UA(P) Act. Subsequently, NIA re-registered the said case as RC- 19/2018/NIA/DLI on 09.05.2018 for further investigation,” said a statement from NIA.

According to sources in NIA, Choudhary was a member of the CPI (Maoists) and he was instrumental in the investment of proceeds of terrorism (extortion/ levy amount collected by senior Maoists cadres) into real estate.

Sources in the agency also revealed that he had been in contact with the senior CPI (Maoist) cadres since 2008 and had been channelizing funds into the acquisition of immovable properties at prime locations in Giridih.