MCC activists target missionaries

JAMSHEDPUR: A suspected activists ofthe outlawed MCC has been arrested on charges of trying to extort money frommissionaries of a Church-run school in the adjoining Saraikela-Kharsawandistrict.The ultra identified as Khudiram Machua of Rugri village wasnabbed from Holly Cross School in Tuydungri village under Chandil police stationon Wednesday evening. He has been booked under Pota. The police also haverecovered a country-made pistol and two live cartridges from him. Thedistrict superintendent of police, Bimal Kishore Sinha, said on Thursday Machuahad demanded Rs 20,000 for the Christian missionaries apparently to buy arms.“We laid a trap to nab him after receiving a complaint that‘unidentified revolutionary’ had asked from themoney.�The police suspect the banned Naxalite group has beentargeting Christian missionaries in the bid raise funds from the region. The MCCallegedly had demanded money from another missionary school in Vijaygiri villageunder Tamar police station of adjoining Ranchi district. A group of MCC ultrasreportedly had visited the school on October 3. The suspect had told the policethat the outfit had mopped up Rs 1 lakh “in a single transaction�recently in Ranchi district. “We have informed the Ranchi police who wouldinvestigate into the matter,� Sinha said. A group of 36 armed extremistshave been active in the Tamar-Chandil region for the past few months. “Itconsists of 12 teenage girls and 24 men of the age group of 19-22 and is led byone Diwarker jee. The group has been holding meetings in the villages andraising funds to buy arms.� Machua had allegedly left a note demanding Rs20,000 at the Holly Cross School on October 27. He had directed the schoolauthorities to leave the cash outside building on October 28. The SP admittedthe ultras have not been known for extorting money from Christian missionaries.Moreover, Machua has criminal antecedents and has been allegedly involveddacoity and extortion in the past.“The MCC normally make criminalsits members,� Sinha said. “But Machua has given information that canonly we known to an insider.Some of the information give by him closelymatches those given by an area commander Hira Singh who was arrested recently.Machua also has claimed he had left MCC sometime back.� Meanwhile, thepolice force has been deployed at the school. Both the district deputycommissioner and the SP visited the area on Thursday.