Maoist couple used rebel money to buy land

Kolkata: Kolkata Police Special Task Force (STF) that is interrogating Maoist leaders Bikash and Tara say the rebel leaders were sitting on a fortune that was being increasingly used to buy land in several districts of Bengal.
Police say Sitaram Bhaiji alias Proloy is now handling Maoist activities in Bengal and are questioning Bikash and Tara for information on other rebel leaders like Madan Mahato and the squads led by Jayanto and Ranjit Pal.Sources said the joint forces have been alerted that these fugitives may be hiding in Burishole and Kashi jungles.
Investigators say Bikash and Tara were not involved in any armed operation since 2011when they settled in Jharkhand close to the Bengal border. Since Bikash was in charge of the arms and ammunitions seized from security forces in earlier operations — virtually being the secretary of the Maoist state military commission — he kept visiting Bengal until a massive crackdown in Jharkhand’s Dalma region forced him and other Maoists to flee back to Bengal.
Bikash had reportedly sought help of a Maoist leader based in Kolkata and another in Hooghly for two cottahs land near Mogra police station. It was here that he and his wife used to work — while Tara toiled as a labourer in a marble company, Bikash was employed as a stone crusher. They had introduced themselves as Sudip Tudu and Monika Tudu.
Investigators are also trying to ascertain the exact number of cases in which Bikash and Tara were involved. “We have not yet charged them under UAPA but we will seek legal opinion once their police custody ends. At present, we are trying to ascertain the origin of the AK-47 rifle that was seized from his Hooghly residence,” said an officer. Police say they have proof that Bikash’s bike was used by Tara and her squad members to kidnap Sankrail officerin-charge Atindranath Dutta after killing two of his colleagues and looting the armoury in October 2009. The police officer was held hostage by Kishanji for over two days and released in exchange for the bail of 15 tribal women arrested for suspected Maoist links.
Though Bikash is wanted in several cases — including attacks on central forces, police and villagers in Sankrail, Goaltore, Lalgarh and Sarenga — it is believed that the weapon could be one of the nine AK-47 and Insas rifles looted during the attack on Silda camp of Eastern Frontier Rifles in February 2010 in which 24 personnel were killed. Bikash is likely to be named as one of the main accused in that case, too.