By Syed Zarir Hussain, IANS,
Guwahati : Thirty-six-year-old separatist leader Jewel Garlossa’s name evokes a sense of fear and panic in Assam’s North Cachar Hills district, but the notorious guerrilla fighter has more to him than meets the eye – a passion for beautiful women, gyms and beauty salons.
Leader of the outlawed Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) or more popularly known as the Black Widow, Jewel was arrested by a special Assam Police team from Bangalore last week along with two of his aides.
“Jewel presently has a Malaysian girlfriend. He loved spending a lot on beauty therapies, regular workouts in gyms, and other such luxurious things,” Assam police chief G.M. Srivastava told IANS.
Police interrogators said Jewel spent a whopping Rs.50,000 per month on beauty and healthcare – especially on anti-aging therapies, visiting gyms and beauty salons.
“Jewel loves the good things of life. He led a luxurious life style in Bangalore and stayed at a rented flat by paying Rs.9,000 per month,” a police interrogator said.
Known to have a weakness for women, Jewel is said to have met his Malaysian girlfriend at some shady bar in Bangalore. Jewel shifted base from Nepal and Bangladesh and had been staying in Banglaore since February-March this year.
“He loved frequenting red light areas in Bangalore and even womanized abroad in countries like Nepal and Bangladesh before,” one of the interrogators said.
But armed cadres of Jewel’s Black Widow back home in Assam unleashed a reign of terror – literally converting the mountainous North Cachar Hills district into a veritable killing field.
In the past six months alone, up to 50 people were killed and dozens injured, besides scores kidnapped for ransom by militants of the Black Widow.
“The ransom money they got by kidnapping people were sent to Jewel to enable him maintain a lavish lifestyle,” the interrogator said.
The Black Widow has been fighting for an independent homeland for the Dimasa tribe in southern Assam since 1995.
“Probably Jewel was trying to flee to Malaysia with the help of his Malaysian girl friend. He was trying to get a passport from Bangalore – he had already procured a driving licence and other documents,” the police interrogator said.
Now that the elusive rebel leader’s luxurious lifestyle has come to light, police feel that the cadres back in the North Cachar Hills district are getting disillusioned.
“Already we are getting reports of utter frustration and discontent among the rank and file of the Black Widow after Jewel’s flashy and carefree lifestyle was exposed,” the official said.
(Syed Zarir Hussain can be contacted at [email protected])