Four held in Assam on charge of extortion for terror funding

Four persons, including an overground worker of a National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) faction and two teachers, have been arrested for extortion for terror funding, Assam Police said on Monday.

The four were extorting money from school and college teachers in the Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD) areas of Assam on behalf of the anti-talks NDFB faction, Additional Director General of Police L.R. Bishnoi said.

The four are the outfit's overground worker Pinkush Narzary, Assistant Teacher Pradip Narzary of a school in Chirang district, Principal Jitendra Narzary of a Tukrajhar school and NDFB faction's general secretary Ranjit Basumatary's wife Monika Basumatary.

"Based on specific inputs, Chirang Police arrested Pinkush. He told police that Ranjit Basumatary motivated him to extort money in Bengtol area. Subsequently, he collected Rs 31,000 from Pradip Narzary and Rs 12,865 from Jitendra Narzary, Bishnoi said, adding that the money was handed over to Monika.

The ADGP said several top NDFB faction leaders, including Ranjit Basumatary and its chairman I.K. Songbijit are believed to be holed up in Myanmar, which borders Mon district in Nagaland.

Ranjit Basumatary was a college teacher in BTAD before he joined the NDFB in 2013.

--IANS

ah/tsb/dg