RANCHI: Maoists in Jharkhand have been using luxury vehicles, bought with the money extorted from businessman and contractors. The recent arrest of cadres of the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) from Ranchi has revealed that the Left Wing Extremists in the state are leading a luxurious life and the top Maoists are using highly expensive vehicles even up to worth Rs 1.5 crore.
Interestingly, these vehicles are being used by the rebels for collecting levy from the local businessmen and supplying arms to its cadres. According to an official communiqué issued by Ranchi police, a tip-off was received by the SSP that some of the people involved in supplying arms and ammunitions had been spotted near Dhurwa. A raid was conducted at a roadside Dhaba near Ring Road in Ranchi on Thursday during which Arya Kumar Singh and Ujjwal Kumar Sahu were arrested along with Amirchand Kumar, who had come to receive the SIM cards for the PLFI cadres.
Three others — Nivesh Kumar, Shubham Kumar and Dhruv Kumar — escaped in a BMW car and Thar jeep. They reportedly belong to the squad of PLFI chief Dinesh Gope. Later, on information received from Amirchand, several high quality tents, sleeping bags and Maoist pamphlets along with cash amounting `3.25 lakh was recovered. The car and jeep used by the other three for escaping was also seized by the police.
During their interrogation, the arrested persons told police that they work for Gope. They also told police that luxury vehicles are used to transfer the consignment from one place to another and Dhruv and Shubham belong to the same gang.
“There are possibilities that many more such vehicles and several other luxury items being used by the Maoists for which probe still on. Anything could be said only after the investigations are concluded,” said SP (City) Saurabh.