Naga militants got funds from state departments: NIA

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In an official statement, the agency said, “These seizures prima facie indicate the connivance of these government organisations in funding various underground organisations operating in Nagaland.”

Sources said these government departments include the Directorate of Information Technology, Directorate of Soil and Water Conservation, Directorate of Irrigation, Directorate of Rural Development, Directorate of Urban Development, PWD, Roads and Buildings and Directorate of Information and Public Relations.

According to the NIA, S Khetoshe Sumi, a senior cadre of NSCN(K), was apprehended by the Assam Rifles in Dimapur, Nagaland, on July 31, 2016. Sumi revealed that he was the organisation’s ‘in-charge of finance’ for Kohima and Dimapur regions, and that his main responsibility was to collect funds for NSCN(K) through illegal taxation of various government departments, the NIA said.

The agency took over the investigation subsequently and arrested one more accused, identified as Victo Swu, alias V K Sumi, on September 28, 2016 from Kohima.

“Based on his revelations, incriminating documents showing the transfer of funds from some government departments to NSCN(K) by way of illegal taxation were recovered and seized in October 2016,” the NIA statement said.

In continuation of this, searches were conducted by NIA teams in various other government offices in Kohima on January 18. “During these searches, a large volume of incriminating documents, showing transfer of funds from various government departments to several underground organisations, including NSCN-K, were recovered and seized,” according to the statement. “These seizures prima facie indicate the connivance of these government organisations in funding the various underground organisations operating in Nagaland.”