ED Exposes UNLF’s Multi-Crore Extortion Racket: Manipur Ministers, MLAs, Schools, Hospitals Among Targets

Digital evidence accessed by ED reveals that several MLAs, including those from the ruling BJP were served extortion notice by the UNLF.

The Enforcement Directorate has submitted explosive evidence in a Delhi Court against Manipur’s United National Liberation Front (UNLF) which has exposed extortion racket with ministers, MLAs also as targets.
Document submitted by the Enforcement Directorate in the Patiala House Court in Delhi recently say that the UNLF extorted crores in the name of liberation struggle and used it to conspire with other underground groups like the RPF/PLA and PREPAK, which are banned terrorist organisations, to create a joint armed group to attack Indian security forces as well as rival community groups to wage war and to intensify the ethnic strife in Manipur and to cripple the established Government.

The revelation came following the arrests of Thokchom Gyaneshwar alias Thoiba along with his two associates L Anand Sharma alias Ingba and Ibomcha Meitei alias Landaba. While, Thokchom Gyaneshwar is the self-styled Army chief of the UNLF, the other two are also members of the outfit.

Following interrogation, it was found that these persons were also involved in activities related to recruitment and training of new cadres, raising funds through extortion and illegal acquisition of arms and ammunition. Incriminating documents related to extortion activities by the UNLF exposed a well-oiled network dealing in collection of funds for the outfit. The data extracted from the digital devices seized from Thokchom Gyaneshwar and L Anand Sharma gave shocking details on the source of the funds collected, besides giving details of acquisition and possession of arms and ammunition by the UNLF cadres.

The incriminating documents reveal that even MLAs and ministers in Manipur were not exempted from the UNLF’s extortion drive.

Digital evidence accessed by ED reveals that several MLAs, including those from the ruling BJP were served extortion notice by the UNLF, forcing them to cough up money. The list includes the names of Speaker T Satyabrata, MLAs Rameshwar and Robindro and even Congress legislator K Meghachandra. Incriminating documents seized reveal that Rs 44.42 lakh were collected from a list of 46 people which include these MLAs. Northeast Live could not verify independently whether the MLAs had indeed received any such extortion letters or whether they had paid money.

A document with the file name ‘2nd Phase Donation list’ reveals that from businessmen to schools, commercial establishments to hospitals, everyone was at the receiving end of the UNLF’s extortion drive. Documents reveal that Rs 1.03 crore was collected by the outfit during July-August 2023 itself, from different individuals, commercial establishments, schools, institutes and hospitals.

The ED document says that the UNLF cadres issued threats to the individuals and business entities to raise funds in the name of donation.

The incriminating documents seized also revealed that an additional amount of Rs 1 crore 13 lakh had been raised from saw mills, liquor shops, toll tax on goods carrying vehicles and factories.

It may be mentioned here that the ED had initiated its investigation into the matter based on a case registered by NIA, which pertained to a transnational conspiracy hatched by Myanmar-based terror groups, operationally active in the Northeast, and trying to exploit the ethnic unrest in Manipur to wage a war against India.

Also Read: New Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla Holds First Security Review Meeting at Raj Bhavan

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