Bangladesh hands over ULFA leader Anup Chetia to India

New Delhi, Nov 11: Banned militant outfit United Liberation Front of Assam's (ULFA) general secretary Anup Chetia has been handed over to the Indian authorities by Bangladesh and will be brought to the national capital on Wednesday, sources said. Chetia, a founder member of ULFA, was arrested by the Bangladesh forces in 1997 under the Foreigners and Passport Act and faces several other charges including possession of arms and currencies of 16 different countries. In Assam, the militant faces many charges of extortion and murders. "Chetia deportation work has been completed and he will be brought to New Delhi today (Wednesday). It is not sure if he will be handed over to the CBI or the Assam Police, who had arrested him in 1991 but later released," said a source in the home ministry. Chetia had also written to the UN for political asylum in Bangladesh on December 7, 2008. However, the request was declined. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told a TV channel: "This is a great achievement as Anup Chetia is very influential even in the pro-talks group of ULFA in comparison to the banned outfit's chief Paresh Baruah." He said that it was for the central government to decide if the custody of Anup Chetia was to be given to Assam Police or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Former CBI official Shantonu Sen said: "I would like to congratulate the National Security Advisor for such a crucial step and hope this follows the deportation of other fugitive terror leaders." Another former CBI officer, D.R. Kaarthikeyan added: "No one can get away from the law of the country and it is only the beginning. It is a lesson for those who try to run away from the law."