Author: Namrata Biji Ahuja
Publication: The Week
Date: September 15, 2017
URL:   http://www.theweek.in/news/india/narayana-arrest-reveals-blatant-corruption-in-naxal-top-brass.html

Several top leaders are said to have invested large amount in real estate

Is ideology a facade for senior Maoists? So believe the Intelligence agencies who are hot on the trail of Sudhakar, the CPI(Maoist) chief of Jharkhand after the recent arrest of his younger brother Buriyari  Narayana in Ranchi. Rs 25 lakh cash and nearly 500 gm of gold bar were recovered from Narayana following his arrest with another tendu patta contractor of Telangana from a hotel near Ranchi railway station on August 30.

Intelligence officials are on the financial trail of naxal leaders like Sudhakar who are believed to have spread a network from Jharkhand to Telangana, which is being used as a parking point for Maoist wealth.

Security sources said Narayana's arrest has once again exposed the "greed and corruption" in the Maoist leadership. His confession to security forces explains in great detail how the naxal brass is busy filling their coffers and forging links with the powerful political leaders and businessmen for vested interests.

During interrogation, it was revealed that Narayana along with an associate, both residents of Telangana, had arrived in Ranchi on August 27.  They had allegedly stayed at the central committee camp of Maoists where Sudhakar met them in the following day.

According to security officials, Sudhakar handed over cash, gold bar and other valuables collected as ‘levy’ to the duo, and asked them to invest it in landed property in Telangana and distribute among his family members.

Intelligence sources said the naxal brass in Jharkhand had been taking help of some local politicians and businessmen in Telangana to invest the money in private business. The agencies are probing this lead to gather more details about the nexus before it cracks down on some of them.

Earlier this year, Sudhakar had also got treatment for his wife, who is a member of Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee of the outfit, in Hyderabad where she stayed for three months. Subsequently, she returned to Sudhakar’s location in Jharkhand. This help, which had been arranged by Narayanan and his conduits, has also under the scanner of agencies probing the financial route used by Maoists to stash wealth.

The naxal nexus with local businessmen, traders and politicians is a matter of concern for the financial intelligence agencies as they believe that Maoists are increasingly converting their cash into investments in businesses like real estate in Telangana and its neighbourhood.

There have been a total of 56 cases of cash seizures in Jharkhand in last two years. The recoveries have been from one lakh to Rs 25 lakh and both underground and overground routes are being used for the same. The number of cases of cash seizures have also gone up since last year from 21 to 37, and the amount of recoveries each year is more than 60 lakh rupees, which sometime goes up to 80 lakh, data with Intelligence agencies reveal.