GUWAHATI: Two militant-turned-politicians and a government official were sentenced to life terms by an anti-terror court here for diverting Rs 1000 crore of the government money to fund terror activities in the north east. Militants-turned-politicians Niranjan Hojai and Jewel Gorlosa and North Cachar Hills Autonomous District Council's former chief executive member Mohet Hojai along with 12 others were sentenced to varying jail terms ranging from eight to 12 years by a designated NIA court.
The 15 were sentenced to various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act and the Indian Penal Code. NIA Special Judge Robin Phukan also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on each of the convicts.
All the 15 accused were convicted yesterday and were sentenced today. The court had yesterday found banned militant outfit Dima Halam Daogah(J) 'chairman' Jewel Garlosa, his 'c-in-c' Niranjan Hojai and 13 others accused of terror funding guilty of diverting government fund of Rs 1,000 crore in NC Hills (now Dima Hasao) district. The NIA had registered two cases on June 5, 2009 after Assam police handed them over to it.
The probe into diversion of revealed that DHD(J) had used elected representatives of NCHADC, government officials and contractors and defalcated huge sums of money from the funds available with the Council.
The NIA charge sheet said that as per a conspiracy hatched in 2008, Mohit Hojai took over the charge of NCHADC and began siphoning off Rs 1000 crore government funds meant for the welfare of school children, physically handicapped and other government projects to DHD(J) for procuring arms and ammunition from abroad to carry out their terror activities in the state.
The scam got exposed when DHD(J) insurgents Phojendro Hojai and Babulal Kemprai were arrested in Guwahati with Rs one crore and arms in April 2009. Garlosa and Niranjan Hojai, who was arrested in Nepal in July 2010 but released on bail in the interest of peace talks with the government, had joined politics and were elected as members of NCHADC in 2015.
DHD(J), popularly known as 'Black Widow' was active mainly in Dima Hasao district. It was demanding Dimaraji state and had taken to extortion to fund its violent terroist activities. The outfit had laid down arms on January 1, 2013.