Financial dealings of UGs come under sharp vigil
NIA team closes in on UG donors
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 17 2010: Sleuths of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have intensified its probe to identify individuals who had been financially contributing to the kitty of banned outfits through bank accounts of those UG leaders rounded up from outside Manipur in recent times.

An informed source disclosed that NIA sleuths have begun intensive investigation about financial transactions of UG groups based on documentary evidences including details of bank accounts seized during the arrest of some insurgent leaders.

It is said that with preliminary investigations indicating involvement of contractors and top Government officials in the bank transaction, efforts are on to verify those individuals to initiate appropriate action.

An NIA official

The source also confided that an NIA team led by an Inspector recently scoured for details of suspicious bank accounts in some of the banking institutions located in the capital city.

On two other earlier occasions NIA officials had carried out similar investigation, the source maintained and listed Manipur State Cooperative Bank, Imphal Urban Cooperative Bank and Thangal bazar-based Central Bank of India, Imphal Branch as the financial houses which the NIA team had investigated.

Further informing that the NIA team carried out minute study on details of some account holders in these banks, the source said NIA officials singling out the three banks is based on the findings that transaction to Guwahati-based ICICI bank accounts of suspected UG supporters had originated from the three banks.

It is further informed that account holders of the three Imphal-based banks can directly transact money with the Guwahati-based ICICI.

As bank documents seized from UG leaders arrested by NIA teams from outside Manipur were found have accounts in the ICICI bank, the NIA team is determined to collect all relevant details of individuals who were involved in the transaction from here, the source maintained.

Among the UG group leaders arrested by NIA sleuths and whose bank accounts were found to be in the ICICI bank include KYKL's commander in-chief namely Ningthoujam Tomba alias Koireng, who was rounded up from near Siliguri, the source disclosed while reminding that several incriminating documents including details of bank accounts were seized at the time of arrest.

The National Investigation Agency was formed to primarily tackle the menace of terrorism after the terror attack at Mumbai in 2008.It was set up along the line of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States of America, and is believed to be the brain child of Chidambaram, who took over as Union Home Minister after the then Home Minister Shivraj Patil drew widespread criticism for his alleged lack of initiative in tackling the situation, the night the terrorists struck.

Since then, the NIA has tackled a number of cases and its name has become familiar to the average Manipuri, after their involvement in the arrest of UNLF leader RK Meghen came to light some time back.