NIA charges three for extortion in Manipur

The accused include a citizen of Myanmar; they were charged with extorting money on behalf of banned Manipur-based extremist groups

Updated - July 14, 2023 11:11 am IST - GUWAHATI

Women belonging to the ‘Meira Paibis’, a group of women representing Meitei society, hold torches in Imphal on July 10, 2023 during a demonstration demanding for the restoration of peace in Manipur.

Women belonging to the ‘Meira Paibis’, a group of women representing Meitei society, hold torches in Imphal on July 10, 2023 during a demonstration demanding for the restoration of peace in Manipur. | Photo Credit: ANI

GUWAHATI

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against three people, accusing them of extorting money on behalf of Manipur-based extremist groups, an official statement said on July 13. Among the three is a Myanmar national.

The charge sheet was filed on July 12 at the NIA Special Court in Imphal against the three for working on behalf of outfits such as the People’s Revolutionary Army, Kangleipak Communist Party, People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, and United National Liberation Front.

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The accused — who have been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 — have been identified as Deepak Sharma, 38, of Khinmaung in Myanmar, and Suraj Jaiswal, 33, and Saikhom Bruce Meetei, 38 of Manipur. Mr. Sharma has been additionally charged under the Foreigners’ Act of 1946, an NIA spokesperson said.

“The accused had been raising or collecting funds with the intention to further the activities of these terrorist organisations,” the spokesperson added.

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Investigations have so far revealed that members of the banned outfits had been making extortion calls to people across the Imphal Valley to raise funds for their organisations. These members shared bank account details of their associates with the victims and instructed them to deposit the extortion money in them.

Investigations are in progress to nab others involved in the case, the spokesperson said.

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