Nagaland extortion racket: NIA arrests NSCN (IM) treasurer's wife
The Assam Rifles (AR) along with the Nagaland Police had busted a major extortion racket operated by the NSCN-IM in Dimapu
Guwahati: In a major breakthrough in the NSCN (IM) extortion case, the Nagaland police on Monday arrested the wife of self-style colonel of NSCN (IM) Rayilung Nsarangbe who is accused to have withdrawn Rs four crore from Rayilung’s bank account a day after his arrest by a joint team of security forces.
The Assam Rifles (AR) along with the Nagaland Police had busted a major extortion racket operated by the NSCN-IM in Dimapur and arrested the treasurer in self-styled Prime Minister’s Office of National Social Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) Rayilung Nsarngbe and his two associates on July 5.
The security forces had also recovered a cash amount of about Rs. 1.59 crore and two kilogram of RDX with a large number of arms and ammunitions from the residence of top NSCN (IM) leader Rayilung who happens to be the close associate of NSCN (IM) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah.
The investigation of the case has now been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as confession a pastor Rabi Pame, arrested with Rs. 11 lakh cash, revealed that an IAS officer of Manipur was also involved in financial transaction being diverted from government funds and projects (PMGSY, NREGA etc.) and other construction works going on in Manipur and Nagaland.
Police in its FIR has also stated that these government funds are being diverted to militants coffer with assistance of sympathisers and overground workers of NSCN (IM).
Pointing out that wife of Rayilung was arrested by Nagaland police on direction of NIA team, security sources said that the NIA sleuths have already arrived Dimapur and monitoring the investigation but in a day or two they would take over the custody of all the accused after completing the legal formalities of NIA court.
Security sources told this newspaper that scale of corruption could be realized by the fact, Rayilung who is a self-style colonel level worker of NSCN (IM) had acquired 800-acre land and was in possession of Rs. 5.59 crore. Indicating that NIA was trying to trace the recipient of Rs. 4 crore that Rayilung managed to withdraw from the bank with the help of his wife, security sources said that the NIA investigation would open the Pandora’s box of the ongoing extortion and loot of public money in Nagaland and Manipur.
Admitting that some forces deliberately delayed the NIA’s entry into the investigation security sources said that NIA team had arrived Dimapur on July 6 to be the part of investigation but in the name of COVID formalities they could not join investigation.
Security sources said that a day after on July 7 Rayilung managed to withdraw Rs. 4 crore from his bank account in Dimapur with the help of his wife.