by reciprocal arrangement with Star of Mysore

Bangalore, Feb 21: The US Intelligence Agency CIA has reportedly warned the Union Government that a Russian mafia might have entered the real estate business in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and other metropolitan cities.

The Russian mafia does not directly involve in the real estate business but gets it done through Naxal-like activists and criminals and eventually make money.

In this background, the Government has taken up intensive investigation in several cities of the country including Bangalore, according to sources.

The mafia is believed to have involved in illegal movement of arms and drugs, real estate business and human trafficking. It has spread its tentacles into Indian tourism, industries and reportedly into several immoral activities.

Nexus with Naxals

The agency is believed to have found out that the Naxals have sought the assistance of the Russian mafia to procure arms and ammunition.

To promote drug trafficking, the Russian mafia had attempted to establish contacts between Maoists in India and militant organisations in South-East Asian countries as suspected by the CIA. In that context, the mafia had wooed the Maoists, promising to provide them arms including AK 47, said sources.

However, the nexus between Indian naxals and the Russian mafia is still in preliminary stage. The US agency has suspected that the Maoists of Afghanistan might have introduced the Russian mafia to the Indian naxals.

The Maoists' group in Afghanistan was constituted in May 2004 to fight the US army. Since then, they are reportedly seeking assistance from their counterparts in India for guidance, as suspected by CIA. Sources say that the Russian mafia has links with Maoists of Nepal too.

As already reported, the Russian mafia has invested about 360 million dollars in real estate business in Goa.

What about Mysore

When contacted Mysore Police Commissioner Praveen Sood told Star of Mysore this morning that he had not received any communication from the Government regarding the presence of Russian mafia in city.