NIA to probe NSCN-K extortion cell in Jaintia Hills

SHILLONG: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take over the investigation into the extortion activities carried out by NSCN (K) whose top leaders of the outfit were arrested in West Jaintia Hills in May.
West Jaintia Hills SP Vivek Syiem said the NIA has prayed in the court to take up the case and formal orders will be released soon. The case will be tried by NIA Special judge in Shillong.
The special cell of the West Jaintia Hills police busted the outfit’s “finance cadres operating somewhere in Khliehtyrshi” in May. The deputy secretary of revenue of NSCN-K, Gaising Maringmei alias Ronal, was arrested from a rented house at Mookyniang in Khiehtyrshi.
Ronal’s arrest led the police to two more cadres, Khamjang Rongmei and Thuanguangpou Kamei. Police had also seized Rs 2 lakh, SIM cards, mobile phones, documents and extortion notes from their possession. Ronal had told police that M/S Bharatiya Company Limited, which is involved in construction work in Manipur, had recently paid Rs 25 lakh in ransom on May 10 in West Jaintia Hills.
Of the amount, Rs 13 lakh was being transported by Ronal’s wife, Tanthaoliu Gonmai, to Imphal on May 13 by a night bus from Shillong to Dimapur.
The information was shared along with Manipur police who then intercepted the bus and arrested Gonmai in Imphal West district and seized the extortion money.
Another cadre identified as Dimchiulungam, who is a courier of the banned outfit, was arrested from Police Bazaar with the help of Shillong police.
It appears that the NSCN-K’s finance wing is using Jaintia Hills as its safe haven to elude the scanner of security forces and carry on extortion.