Banned outfit’s new method to collect money
SHILLONG: The HNLC under penury has adopted a novel way of sending demand notes. They printed the receipt book of ‘Lions Sports Club’ to collect money in a clandestine way.
The two HNLC men and two overground workers, who were arrested from Mawkyrwat, South West Khasi Hills district on Wednesday had the demand notes of Lions’ Sports Club.
“It looks like HNLC is bankrupt at the moment and they are in dire situation for want of money,” a senior police official said on Saturday adding that this is evident from the demand notes being sent not in the name of HNLC but by masquerading themselves as members of the Lions’ Sports Club.
Police seized around 20 demand notes printed in Bangladesh and a receipt book with the name, Lions’ Sports Club.
The distribution of demand notes under Lions’ Sports Club is an attempt to escape from the police surveillance and also to ensure that those donate money is free from any police interrogation.
In the past, police after filing FIR had taken action against businessmen who donated money to HNLC after the militant outfit served demand notes under its own letter pad.
Considering the current state of affairs of the outfit, the police official informed that their main aim at present is to collect money and realizing this need, they have been involved in recruiting young rural boys to serve demand notes to the well-to-do people in the form of an appeal, a receipt of which is given to the people while omitting the name of the outfit.
When asked about the operation of the outfit in the state, the official said “As of now, they are trying to recruit young boys from the rural areas taking advantage of their innocence by duping them into false promises which however, could not be fulfilled due to lack of funds.”
Police have ruled out the possibility of the once dreaded militant outfit, HNLC from gaining strength even as terming the outfit as a ‘sinking ship’.
“The police are putting in efforts and mechanisms to ensure that they (HNLC) don’t raise their ugly heads again in the state and we have strategized our plans to prevent the outfit from luring the rural youths into joining the outfit at the same time, we guide them from going astray,” police official said.
The official also informed that the police have been holding meetings with the public in the rural areas to make them aware of the current situation, by not naming any particular outfit. “We are trying to make the people aware of dangers of joining militant groups through various awareness programmes ,” he added.