The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has just filed a supplementary prosecution complaint against Dinesh Gope, the chief of the banned Maoist group People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), in a terror‑funding and money‑laundering case. The complaint was lodged at the Special PMLA Court in Ranchi.
Gope and 19 other people and companies are alleged to have collected and laundered around ₹20 crore through systematic extortion, shell companies and other illegal channels. The ED says the PLFI’s network siphoned huge sums by demanding money from local businesses and people.
In August, the ED registered an enforcement case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to crack down on the money‑laundering trail tied to Go P’s leadership. The case follows Go P’s arrest by the National Investigation Agency in Nepal on May 21 2023, where he was taken into custody over a terror‑funding investigation. The NIA offered a ₹5 lakh reward for information leading to his arrest, while the Jharkhand government offered a ₹25 lakh reward. He is now being held in Palamu Central Jail.
After his capture, investigators interrogated Go P for two days in July 2023. He admitted to collecting extortion money via shell companies run by close aides and family. Court records show that he laundered crores of rupees through firms such as Bhavya Engikan Pvt Ltd, Shiv Shakti Minerals Pvt Ltd, Shakti Samriddhi Infra Pvt Ltd and Palak Enterprises—companies operated by his wives Shakuntala Devi and Geeta, and associate Sumant Kumar.
The NIA seized nearly ₹19.93 lakh from his wives’ bank accounts and traced more than ₹2.5 crore across two dozen accounts. Authorities also attached a flat in Ranchi and a residence in Edalhatu, each worth close to ₹1 crore.
The money‑laundering investigation traces back to a 2018 complaint filed at Bedo police station, Ranchi, which uncovered that after India’s 2016 demonetization, Go P’s associate tried to deposit ₹25.38 lakh in ₹500 and ₹1000 notes that had been declared invalid.
The ED is expanding the probe to map Go P’s extortion network, financial conduits and investment channels across Jharkhand and neighboring states. The court will hear the new case soon, potentially leading to further arrests and asset seizures.
Source: ianslive
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