Raipur: On Saturday, five individuals were arrested from Bijapur and Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki districts in Chhattisgarh for allegedly collecting funds to support Naxal activities, according to police reports.
The arrested individuals include Sonaram Farsa, Vijay Jurri, Ramlal Karma, and Rajendra Kadti, all from Bijapur, and Vivek Singh from Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki. They are accused of extorting money from tendu leaf contractors in the Bhairamgarh area.
Inspector General of Police Deepak Jha stated that investigations revealed these suspects had collected approximately ₹60 lakhs from tendu leaf contractors during the year 2022, as evidenced by bank account transactions.
The arrests followed a probe triggered by the detention of tribal leader and alleged Maoist associate Sarju Ram Tekam in April. The investigation uncovered that Tekam had been actively promoting Maoist ideologies and strengthening the urban Naxal network.
On March 22, Tekam reportedly requested funds from Farsa to purchase flight tickets to New Delhi for a protest planned for March 23. This protest, supported by the Communist Party of India (Maoist), was against Operation Kagar, corporatisation, and militarisation.
IG Jha noted that Tekam, who was arrested under the UAPA and Explosives Act, sought financial assistance from an individual in the Manpur police station area to support his urban network, including the cost of flight tickets. Bank transactions linked to this individual were also connected to other suspects in Bijapur district.
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