ED files chargesheet against 9 Maoists in Bihar

New Delhi: Tightening its noose around the Maoists in Bihar, the Enforcement Directorate on Friday filed a chargesheet against nine people, including Musafir Sahni and Anil Ram, ‘area Commanders’ of CPI (Maoist) group.

A senior ED official said the agency has filed chargesheet under the charges of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, before a Special Judge of PMLA court in Bihar’s Patna against 9 persons, including Sahni and Ram, both ‘area commanders’, CPI (Maoist), Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee.

He said the chargesheet has been filed before the court seeking punishment of offences under money-laundering and confiscation of attached properties consisting of 11 plots in Vaishali, two plots in Muzaffarpur, three plots in Lakhnauri, balances in bank accounts, seized cash, a truck and motorcycle, an advance given for property in Delhi totalling to Rs 54.14 lakh.

The official said the chargesheet was filed on the basis of investigation that revealed that proceeds of crime generated through collection of levy, dacoity and extortion have been utilized for acquisition of assets in the name of accused family members so that the same can be projected as untainted.

He said the accused utilised the pseudo names to escape from the law enforcing agencies and utilized the proceeds of crime to purchase assets in the name of other associates.

The ED had filed a case on the basis of the FIR registered against Sahni and Ram and others for criminal conspiracy, offences relating to robbery and dacoity, causing explosion likely to endanger life or property, making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances, offences related to Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The official alleged that Sahni and Ram are habitual offenders who have indulged in heinous offences such as murder, attempt to murder, robbery and dacoity, offences under UAPA and offences under Arms Act. They also possessed huge money through collection of levy and extortion in the name of their organization, the CPI (Maoist).