In a major blow to CPI (Maoist) higher-ups plundering the country for personal benefits, the Ranchi Police arrested two persons carrying Rs 25 lakh cash and half a kilogram gold to be taken to Telangana on Wednesday. The cash and the gold was given by Central Committee member Sudhakar to his brother and his business partner to be invested in various business activities.
A total of Rs 25.15 lakh, 500 gm gold, Naxal literature, two ATM cards, PAN card, calculator and watches were recovered from B Narayan, who called himself brother of Sudhakar and Satynarayan Reddy, business partner of the Central Committee member, said police.
Ranchi SSP Kudeep Dwivedi said in a Press conference that the police was alerted with the information that CPI (Maoist) senior leaders are sending money gathered from industrialists and businessmen to their homes. “On August 30 we had got a tip-off that Sudhakar had gathered huge amount of money and two persons, including his brother were coming to Ranchi from jungles of Gumla carrying cash. A special task force was formed to verify the fact and other exercises and it found out in the evening that the brother of Sudhakar with another person was moving towards Ranchi Railway Station,” said the SSP.
“As the STF was moving towards them the two persons were stopped near Patel Chowk and were interrogated by the police personnel there. First, they pretended to know only Telugu language and did not reveal anything but later during the investigation they told their names and connection with Sudhakar. Rs 5 lakh, Naxal literature and other items were recovered from B Narayana’s bag, while from Styanarayan Reddy’s possession Rs 20 lakh, Naxal literature and approximately half kg gold pieces were recovered,” he added.
The SSP further informed that B Narayana accepted that the money was given by his own brother Sudhkar in Gumla jungles for household expenditure and for their mother. Narayana further said that earlier also he had received cash from his brother in Gumla jungles many times. On the other hand, Satyanarayan Reddy said that he was an active member of the CPI (Maoist) and a business partner of Central Committee member Sudhakar.
Police said that Reddy has accepted to be receiving huge amounts of money from Sudhakar from time to time for investing in businesses such as Tendu leaves, real estate and land purchase and sale. Police said that according to Reddy they keep investing in different businesses and buy gold and keep cash when they get huge profits. Police said that Reddy has accepted to know Sudhakar since 90s when the former was a Naxal commander in Andhra Pradesh and the latter was a Tendu leaves trader.
In his confession, according to police, Reddy has said that he keeps accompanying Sudhakar, wherever he gets transferred and take help of his influence in the area to garner money through dubious deals and businesses. He has said that Sudhakar has told him that there was no ideology left in Maoist movement and therefore it was better to earn as much as one can before surrendering.
Kotwali DSP Bhola Prasad Singh, Inspector Anil Kumar Karn, Sub Inspector Tarik Anwer, ASI Balendra and members of quick reaction team of Ranchi Police were in the raid team that arrested the two Maoists.