New Delhi: In a rare case of India impounding foreign assets accumulated through terror funds, probe agencies will soon be taking possession of Nepal-based bank accounts and immovable properties allegedly operated by the chief of a prominent Northeast insurgent group, 'Black Widow'.
In culmination of an over two-year long diplomatic and legal cooperation between investigation and enforcement agencies of India and Nepal, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recently got the nod of the neighbouring country to attach the assets of Niranjan Hojai alias Nirmal Rai, the 'commander-in-chief' of insurgent outfit Dima Halam Daogah-Jewel (Black Widow), which has been operating in Assam for many years now.
The agency claimed that these were created by Hojai after allegedly laundering the proceeds of terrorist activities perpetrated in the Northeast of India.
After a series of exchanges of crime dossiers between the two countries, sources said, Kathmandu has helped a team of Indian officials in identifying the alleged assets of Hojai in that country which are essentially a house in the Sunsari area and a few bank accounts with some "substantial" funds in them.
ED officials, the sources said, were able to satisfy their Nepali counterparts that its money laundering case (registered in 2010) against Hojai was water-tight and the attachment of these assets would help it crack down on a major terror financing network, especially at a time when India is looking at all avenues to curb and dismantle instances of black money and illegal funds stashed abroad.
Nepal, the sources added, was also sent Letters Rogatory (judicial request) sometime back in this case under the stringent criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Railways' Delhi Division armed with 10K brooms for Oct 2 clean-up
New Delhi:The Delhi Division of Railways has put together an arsenal of 10,000 brooms for use by a battery of volunteers, including schoolchildren and top officials and lawmakers, when they attack garbage at its facilities on October 2 in a first-of-its-kind exercise.
Equipped with a specially-designed 'battle gear' made up of gloves, masks and colourful jackets and caps, the volunteer force would be clearing garbage from platforms, tracks, circulating areas, waiting rooms and entry and exit gates at the New Delhi, Old Delhi, Nizamuddin, Sarai Rohilla and Anand Vihar stations apart from at 45 others under Delhi Division.
Covering Delhi, parts of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, Delhi Division has a total of 213 stations of which 50 have been earmarked to host ministers, senior officials and MPs for the clean-up exercise.
"All 213 stations of the division will be covered by the cleanliness drive. While 50 stations have been identified for the involvement of senior officials, the rest will be taken up at the Assistant Station Master-level," Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Anurag Sachan, told PTI.
Delhi Division has also procured about 500 dustbins and a significant number of large polythene bags and wheelbarrows for garbage collection. He said that the cleaning work on October 2 will continue for eight hours.
"The drive will also cover trains, including the pantry cars," he added.
Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda will himself pick up the broom for what has been billed as a first-of-its-kind exercise by the national transporter. Gowda will lead the clean-up drive at New Delhi station.
Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha is expected to clean the platform at Ghazipur station in his constituency of the same name in Uttar Pradesh.
