National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted two accused in connection with a case linked to revival of proscribed Maoist outfit, People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a splinter group of the CPI Maoist, informed the agency on June 11.
Both the accused were apprehended by the NIA from the national capital during its massive crackdown on multiple location linked to PLFI across the country in December last year. Nivesh Kumar alias Nivesh Poddar and Raman Kumar Sonu alias Sonu Pandit were chargesheeted for various offences in the chargesheet filed by the agency before a special NIA court, Ranchi.
One of the accused Nivesh has been chargesheeted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act while Sonu Pandit has been charged under IPC, UAPA and Arms Act.
According to the NIA’s investigation, the duo were involved in the conspiracy to strengthen, revive PLFI, an unlawful group engaged in waging a war against the government of Bharat.
The NIA’s investigation has further revealed that the cahrgesheeted accused were engaged in generation of funds through extortion from various coal traders, transporters, railway contractors, businessmen e.t.c in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar.
The duo along with the other members of the outfit were also involved in a conspiracy to carry out terror attacks on security forces, murder, arson and attacks with Explosives/ Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to create terror in society, said the premier investigative agency on Tuesday.
NIA has further disclosed that the conspiracy was hatched by PLFI central committee members, Martin kerketta and Durga Singh along with commander of PLFI armed squad, Krishna Yadav alias Sultan.
The investigation has further revealed that the chargesheeted accused were also involved in carrying out various unlawful activities such as recruitment and procurement of arms and ammunition and collections of levy in collaboration with other members of the PLFI.
PLFI Revival Case
The case was suo motto registered by the NIA under various sections of IPC and UAPA in October last year following information of terror financing activities through levy extortion by PLFI members.
The central agency had also raided over 20 locations linked to PLFI across Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi in December last year which led to the arrest of both Sonu Pandit and Nivesh from the national capital.
The sleuths of the agency during the raids had also seized Indian army uniforms, incriminating devices and documents, arms and ammunition and cash.
NIA Arrests 2 Accused in Massive Crackdown on Banned PLFI in 4 States pic.twitter.com/pI5FU1wNi3
— NIA India (@NIA_India) December 15, 2023
Months after the raids on aforementioned location, the NIA had also carried out multiple raids in separate locations across Jharkhand and Assam, which led to the arrest of Vinod Munda alias Sukhwa, a wanted PLFI cadre from Khunti district of Jharkhand in April.
NIA’s team during the raid had also seized incriminating materials, including walkie-talkie, mobile phones, cash and documents related to outlawed PLFI, founded by self-styled supremo Dinesh Gope.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Jharkhand police and the NIA (National Investigative Agency) in a joint operation had arrested hardcore Maoist and PLFI supremo, Dinesh Gope on May 20 last year. Gope was arrested following a swift operation by a joint team of NIA and Jharkhand police in Nepal, where he had been living in disguise for a long time.
Supremo of banned extremist outfit PLFI, Dinesh Gope arrested in a joint operation of Jharkhand police and NIA.
He was carrying a reward of Rs 30 lakhs. Out of which, the reward of Rs 25 lakhs has been declared by Jharkhand police while Rs 5 lakhs by NIA.
— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2023
Gope, a resident of Khunti district, had as many as 102 cases registered against him in different police stations of Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar at the time of his arrest. The cases include of murder, arson and extortion, for which a reward of Rs 25 lakh was announced on him by Jharkhand’s State Government. Additionally, a reward of Rs 5 lakh on Gope was also announced by the NIA in connection with a terror funding case registered by the central agency in 2018.
