‘Maoist used extortion money for kid’s education’

An alleged Maoist commander of the Bihar-Jharkhand zone used ~45 lakh gained through extortion and levies to finance his children’s educational goals, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said Monday.

Pramod Sharma alias Prabhakarji, allegedly a secretary of the CPI(Maoist)’s Banawar subarea zonal committee, has been accused of using the illegal funds to enrol his son and daughter in coaching institutes across Kota and Patna. Later, he even used part of the money to pay for his daughter’s admission to a medical college, the ED stated.

The ED has charged Pramod Sharma and his brother, Pradumn Sharma alias Kundanji, with money laundering and a host of other offences. Pradumn is the alleged in-charge of the extremist group’s special area committee for Bihar-Jharkhand (Magadh zone).

The agency has provisionally attached the duo’s moveable and immoveable assets, valued up to Rs 68 lakh. It had attached property worth ~89 lakh belonging to Sandeep Yadav – a Jharkhandbased Maoist commander – in a similar move last month.

The agency had begun scrutinising the Sharma brothers’ assets on the basis of 67 FIRs and charge sheets. The charges filed against them include illegal collection of levies, criminal conspiracy, attempted murder, murder, extortion and investing the “proceeds of crime” in various movable and immovable assets.

“The ED has also found that several contractors are collecting levies and laundering cash on the behalf of Pradumn Sharma. These contractors are also being investigated,” the agency stated, adding that certain steel firms in Chennai helped Pramod launder money for the purpose of paying for his daughter’s medical admission.

NEW DELHI: THE ED HAS CHARGED PRAMOD SHARMA ALIAS PRABHAKARJI AND HIS BROTHER PRADUMN ALIAS KUNDANJI WITH MONEY LAUNDERING