Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: In explosive revelations, Purulia arms drops case prime accused Kim Davy has named jailed Bihar strong man Pappu Yadav as the Member of Parliament who helped him escape from India.
Davy, who is known by many aliases, had played an active role in the infamous incident in which large consignment of arms, including several hundred AK-47 rifles, and ammunition were dropped from a Latvian aircraft on the night of December 17, 1995 in West Bengal`s Purulia district.
But before the aircraft could leave Indian airspace it was intercepted by the Indian Air Force and forced to land in Mumbai. However, Davy managed to escape from the airport under mysterious circumstances while the others in the aircraft; five Latvian citizens and Peter Bleach, an ex-Special Air Service operative and British intelligence officer were arrested and tried in court.
They were and sentenced to life imprisonment; all were, however, released subsequently.
Detailing the sequence of events leading to his escape from India on December 26, 1995, Davy told a news channel: "When the plane landed at the Mumbai airport, at that time we were not surrounded by anybody, we were quite free. So since I was a bit nervous about what was going to happen, I slipped in the background and when I saw that the police started coming I slipped away from the airport. From there I went to Pune.”
"I stayed a night in Pune. From Pune I was told through my contacts with the MP (Yadav) that I should fly as soon as possible to Delhi and when I arrived at Delhi airport I was received in the MPs personal car and put in the backseat and driven to his official residence within the sight of the President`s residential dome."
"At Pappu Yadav`s home Mr JK Dutt arrived shortly afterwards and arranged for the transport by train that evening from Delhi to a very small train station that I could not see because I was packed in blankets. There another diplomatic or what should I say an official car was waiting, plus two other cars with AK-47 guards who then drove me directly from the platform of the station over the border into Nepal and dropped me at the bus depot on the Nepali side from where I escaped back to Denmark."
Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav is currently lodged in the Tihar Jail. He was convicted in the murder of Communist Party of India (Marxist) legislator Ajit Sarkar and sentenced to life. He was expelled from Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD in 2009.
Former top cop JK Dutt was CBI’s joint director and had conducted the probe into the arms drops case. His last assignment before he retired last year was as the Director General of the National Security Guards – he had leaded the counter attack on 26/11.
Dutt has completely rubbished the claims made by Davy and has denied any involvement in helping him escape from India.
Davy said that he has decided to come out with his story now as he fears that he would be extradited to India and treated as a terrorist when the whole operation by planned by powerful people from within India.
He said that India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, knew everything about the operation and had worked in tandem with British agency MI5.
On the motive behind the entire operation, Davy said that the arms were meant for self protection. “It was against state sponsored Communist terror and violence perpetrated by CPI (M).”
He said, “I came from an affluent part of the world and on visiting West Bengal was touched by the poverty and appalling conditions. I worked 15 years for the poor people of West Bengal…I saw my own friends being killed…we had to defend ourselves that was the whole background.”
Later adding: “There were political forces in Delhi who wanted to further their political interest. The design was to ensure President’s Rule in West Bengal. So people were armed.”
