Trail left behind in treasure hunt...

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, April 23: New lights have been thrown on the discovery of the real-life treasure hunt of a treasure trove that was kept buried inside the Kali Temple in Rani Tea Estate. A section of the players involved in the game has already decamped with the trove that has no legal owner even as it has been said to be as that of the ULFA.  

The treasure trove amounts to Rs 300 crore, besides gold and arms.

Dinesh Das, one of the 13 people whose mes have figured in the PIL filed in the Supreme Court by former Army officer Manoj Kumar Kaushal on April 13 this year, was able to give an almost clear-cut roadmap on the entire game and the players involved in it. It, however, seems that the missing links in the game plan can be discovered if the case is pursued by an investigating agency with impeccable credentials.

Dinesh Das, the general secretary of the Sangarami Krishak-Shramik Sangha, said: “It’s astonishing as to why former Army officer Manoj Kumar Kaushal giving bites in TV channels nowadays has filed the PIL in the apex court after keeping mum for two years. The fact, however, remains that Manoj Kumar Kaushal did meet me in the guise of one Manoj tantric on May 29, 2014 at Chandmari in Guwahati along with SULFA man Jiten Kalita.”

The claim made by Das, while briefing the press at Guwahati Press Club today, has given newer clues to the treasure hunt. Making things more correlative, Das, in the presence of four others whose mes have also figured in the PIL, said: “I first came to know of the hidden treasure on May 27, 2014 when Jiten Kalita, who identified himself as a SULFA man, came to my residence taking Hitesh Kalita and another person along with him. Jiten Kalita told me with certainty that a secret treasure of the ULFA was kept hidden inside Rani Tea Estate. He sought help from me. He even tried to lure me. I ignored them. He, however, didn’t stop there. On May 29, 2014 he telephoned me again when I was at Chandmari in Guwahati. He asked me to go near All India Radio. When I went there he took me to a residence nearby where he introduced me with one tantric med Manoj. Manoj told me that he was from Delhi and came to Guwahati to visit Kamakhya. Jiten Kalita then said that he had good terms with the tantric while he was in the ULFA. The tantric, as I see now in television channels these days, is none other than Manoj Kumar Kaushal. Manoj, in the guise of a tantric, squarely sought my help in unearthing the treasure trove. He also tried to lure me. I ignored them yet again. Manoj, however, kept me troubling for a week over telephone, but I refused to succumb to his pressure tactics.”

Das further said: “In the meantime, in May 2014 rayan Kachari, an employee of Assam State Housing Board (ASHB) who has his residence near Rani Tea Estate, and a tantric with his title Baruah, held a puja at the Kali Temple in the TE. They said that they had to organize the puja following some revelations in a dream. When the labourers of the TE informed us of the matter, we went there and stopped them from going ahead with the puja. We saw vehicles of the police and other people going there later. On June 3, 2014 a person who claimed to have come to my residence along with Jiten Kalita, informed me over telephone that the hidden treasure has already been stolen away. Soon we rushed to the temple and found a seven/eight feet deep hole there. Soon I informed then Kamrup SP Indrani Baruah. On her advice, I also lodged an FIR at Rani outpost when Buddhiram Muktiar was the in-charge. However, the case was never followed up.”

Dinesh further expressed his surprise as to why Manoj tantric (Manoj Kumar Kaushal) did perform a puja in the house of Manju Orang near Rani TE at that time.  

Hitesh Kalita, whose me has also been figured up in the PIL filed by Kaushal and who happened to accompany Jiten Kalita to the house of Dinesh Das on May 27, 2014, said: “I was informed of the hidden treasure on May 26, 2014 by Dinobandhu Kalita of Puthimari over telephone. Dinobandhu told me that Jiten Kalita was trying to unearth the treasure with the help of the administration. He also told me that Jiten and Mril Das were in the know of the treasure and the police and the army were also busy in unearthing the trove. I accompanied Jiten Kalita and Mril Das to the Army camp at Borihat on May 27, 2014 but didn’t find the Army officer. On our way back, we went to the house of Dinesh Das. On May 23, 2014 we the trio went to the Army camp at Satgaon. Again on May 30, 2014 we went to the Army camp at Borihat. A team of army personnel accompanied us and we saw the Kali Temple in Rani TE. We did see some sort of digging works done in the temple. On June 1, 2014 Mril Das came to my residence and told me that the search of the trove would begin by June 5/6, 2014. On June 2, 2014 I and Jiten went to Panbazar to meet one Chetri, an official of the Crime Branch of the police. On June 2, 2014 we, together with police officials, rushed to the Kali Temple at 4/5 pm only to find a seven/eight feet deep hole there. Mril Das was not in the civilian-police team that visited the Kali Temple on June 2, 2014.”

Hitesh Kalita futher said: “After that Jiten Kalita came to my house on June 7 and 18, 2014 and told me that it would be probed who took the trove away. However, I lent him a cold shoulder as it is something like chasing a mirage. Since then I have not been keeping in touch with them. Mril Das paid Jiten Das an amount for running here and there for the purpose.”      

Now Dinesh Das demands that the trail left behind in the hunt of the treasure trove could be re-established if the investigation is carried out by arresting rayan Kachari, tantric Baruah, the then Rani OP in-chrge Buddhiram Muktiar and Jiten Kalita.        

Dinesh Das further said that if Manoj Kaushal failed to establish his allegations he would have to face the music. “We’ll file defamation suit against him,” he said, and added: “I’m hurt that Sangrami Krishak-Shramik Sangha, Kamrup district general secretary Binod Kalita, Sangha’s primary member and artiste Jitumoni Das’ and Manju Orang’s mes have also been included in the PIL.”  

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