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This story is from January 19, 2022

NIA arrests ex-MD of Jharkhand power company for ‘funding’ militant group

NIA arrests ex-MD of Jharkhand power company for ‘funding’ militant group
KOLKATA: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested the former managing director of a Jharkhand-based power and natural resources company, from his residence at Salt Lake on the eastern fringes of Kolkata on Tuesday for allegedly funding a militant outfit. On Wednesday, a special NIA court sent accused Mahesh Agarwal on four days’ transit remand.

On Tuesday, a team of NIA officials and Bidhannagar police reached his house around 10.30 am after a Jharkhand court turned down his “no coercive action” plea.
Sources said that Agarwal was allegedly trying to flee in a car with a Nagaland number plate. The team intercepted the car, but two of his accomplices managed to escape.
The NIA lawyer, Shyamal Ghosh, said sections 414, 384, 386 and 337 of the Indian Penal Code related to extortion, endangering human life and concealing stolen property, besides sections under the UAPA have been charged on him. “All of the sections are non-bailable. He will now be produced at the Jharkhand court,” said.
The case, which was originally registered at the Tandwa police station in Jharkhand’s Chatra, pertains with hefty payments made to the local militant outfit, Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC). The agency tracked down that the TPC — a splinter group of the CPI (Maoist) — was receiving payments from corporate entities.
After taking over the case in 2018, the national agency came to know that Agarwal had allegedly been paying Rs 200 per tonne of coal to the transporters who allegedly transferred the money to the TPC members in village committees to ensure smooth passage for his trucks. The TPC used to operate in the Amrapali-Magadh Project area of Central Coalfield Ltd and extort businessmen.

It was also alleged that Agarwal helped TPC members, including regional commander Akraman and Bindeswar Ganjhu, to raise funds for the militant outfit. The agency also produced emails, which purportedly claimed that Agarwal was aware of the money being paid to the TPC, at the court. Akraman, alias Netaji, allegedly used to make regular phone calls to people close to Agarwal as well.
Agarwal’s name appeared along with four others in a supplementary charge sheet filed by the agency in January 2020. Based on that, a non-bailable warrant was issued against him. “The charge sheet was challenged in a Jharkhand court, which on Tuesday vacated a stay put on the non-bailable warrant issued against him,” said NIA lawyer Debashis Mallick Choudhury.
Agarwal’s lawyer Ayan Bhattacharya argued that he was being falsely implicated in the case and his name appeared only in the second supplementary charge sheet. His name was not there as any absconder in the case. He was tested Covid-19 positive on January 14, despite that he was arrested by the NIA.
Earlier at the Jharkhand court, Agarwal’s lawyers had argued that even if any levy was paid to the TPC, the intention to use the amount was not known to Agarwal. While Agarwal was implicated, his company was not implicated in the case, and he ceased to be a director of the company in May 2019.
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About the Author
Rohit Khanna

Rohit Khanna covers sectors like government finance, economy, industry and issues related to financial crime.

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