GJM leader’s brother linked to arms haul shifted to Siliguri

HT, 4 Nov 2016, DARJEELING: Bijoy Rai alias Thulung, who was arrested in connection with the arms haul case and remanded in the police custody, was shifted to Siliguri from the Darjeeling Sadar Police Station on Thursday evening. 

Bijoy, 36, is the brother of GJM leader and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) elected member Sanjay Thulung, who is absconding and has been named as one of the prime accused in the arms haul case. Police arrested Bijoy from Jorebungalow, 8 km from Darjeeling town, on Tuesday.

He was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) in Darjeeling on Wednesday and was remanded to six days of police custody. He will be produced again on November 7.

Natarajan Ramesh Babu, ADG (North Bengal), along with special superintendent, CID interrogated Thulung at the Darjeeling Sadar Police Station. After the interrogation, Thulung was shifted to Siliguri. The police, however, preferred to remain tightlipped about the interrogation. Thulung’s defence lawyer while appealing for bail at the CJM court in Darjeeling on Wednesday stated that Thulung is suffering from cardiac complications and requires treatment under a cardiologist. His bail petition was rejected by the court.

“We do not have a cardiologist in Darjeeling so we have shifted Thulung to Siliguri. Investigations will continue. If required, we will appeal for further extension of the remand to police custody” added Amit P Javalgi, superintendent of police, Darjeeling.

Bijoy, a resident of Musey Khola, Tukdah Tea Estate, Darjeeling has been charged under sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to criminal conspiracy, waging war against the government of India; collecting arms with the intention of waging war against the government and sedition read with sections of the Arms Act. On November 8, 2014, one Ganesh Chettri and Umesh Kami were arrested by Assam police and the vehicle they were driving in was seized. Along with some incriminating documents and cash of Rs 10,000, the police had also recovered a huge cache of arms, including a M16 rifle, pistol and ammunition for AK series rifles, pistols and the M16 rifle, from a vehicle bearing West Bengal registration Number (WB74A 4788) travelling from Nagaland to Bengal.

Chettri (53) is a resident of Baksadistrictof Assamand Kami is a resident of Lankapara in the Alipurduar district. A case had been started against the two at the Dhaligaon Police Station in the Chirang District of Assam. The duo had allegedly revealed that the arms consignment had been ordered by GJM youth leader and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) member Sanjay Thulung (Rai.) They said some more consignments of arms had already entered Darjeeling. The Darjeeling police later started a fresh case against Kami and Chettri at the Rungli Rungliot police station in the Darjeeling sub division. One rifle, ammunition and incriminating documents had also been recovered from an area known as 27th Mile under the Rungli Rungliot police station.