Ranchi, July 17 (Inditop.com) Jharkhand police will interrogate the trader arrested in Delhi Tuesday for allegedly supplying sophisticated wireless sets and modern equipment to Maoists in the state, officials said here Friday.
According to police sources, Praveen Sharma, who was arrested from Delhi’s Palika Bazaar, has been taken on transit remand from Delhi Police.
“Praveen Sharma will be interrogated in Ranchi and we will try to find out the details of delivery of the consignment. We will also try to find out about past consignments and the people involved. It is most important to know whether any syndicate is involved in supplying arms and communication equipment to rebels,” a police official told IANS.
Police in Ranchi had seized a consignment of communication gadgets from the Air India cargo office in the state capital Tuesday. The material included a bullet proof jacket, 60 walkie talkies, 26 high frequency radios, six pocket tape recorder, 54 3.6 volt batteries, 10 Sony transistors, two radios, 60 headphones and other things.
Three youths who had come to the cargo office to receive the consignment were arrested and based on information received from them, Naresh Sharma, a project manger with the Shekhar Construction Company, was arrested in Palamau district Tuesday.
According to police, Naresh Sharma admitted that the consignment was to be delivered to Sandeepji, a member of the central committee of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist.
He also revealed that the communication equipment had been sent by Praveen Sharma and the state police passed on the information to Delhi Police, who arrested the trader.
State police officials are concerned by the new strategy of the Maoists. “Earlier Maoist rebels were only demanding cash and now they are getting arms and communication gadgets in the form of levy. It is a cause for serious concern,” said a senior police official.
“If the communication gadgets had fallen in the hands of the rebels, it could have proved disastrous for the police. Maoist rebels could hear police communications with these hi tech wireless sets and high frequency radios,” he said.
