New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday, February 4 arrested four over-ground workers (OGWs) of the banned CPI (Maoist) terrorist organisation, a Maoist outfit, in a Chhattisgarh arms recovery case, the agency said.
The case relates to the recovery of arms from cadres of the Kuyemari Area Committee of CPI (Maoist) from the Kanker district.
“The arrested accused have been identified as hardcore associates of CPI (Maoist) leaders,” said the agency in a statement.
NIA investigations have revealed that Anish Khan alias Annu Khan alias Ajju Khan, Anil Kumar Netam, Jaysing Hidko and Raghuveer had, for long, been involved in harbouring members of the terror outfit and in providing them with logistics support.
Besides arranging shelter, the NIA said, the accused had supplied incriminating materials, including explosives and detonators, to armed Maoist cadres who were proceeding to attack a police party near Mujalgondi village in Kanker district.
NIA investigations have further revealed that the attack, as well as a meeting for an election boycott call in the State, had been planned by Maoist members Sonu and Prasad, who were both active in the Kuyemari area. Two armed cadres were successfully apprehended before the attack on the police party could be carried out.
4 CPI (Maoist) Terror Operatives Arrested in Chhattisgarh Arms Recovery Case pic.twitter.com/GcdM4USDuN
— NIA India (@NIA_India) February 4, 2025
NIA, which took over the case from the local police in February last year, had charge-sheeted two accused in August 2024 and is continuing with its investigations.
Notably the agency on January 30 had arrested two other operatives of the banned group in connection with the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly election Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast case.
The arrested individuals, Dhanesh Ram Dhruw alias Guru Jee and Ramswarup Markam, were associates of CPI (Maoist) members and were actively involved in providing logistical support to the perpetrators of the IED explosion, which took place on November 17, 2023, in Badegobra village of Gariyaband district in Chhattisgarh during the state assembly polls.
An Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) head constable was martyred in the blast, which was triggered by the assailants when the polling team, accompanied by security personnel, was returning from village Badegobra after completing the voting process.
According to NIA investigations, the attack was planned by Maoist’s central committee members Ganesh Uikey and Manoj, and special zonal committee member Satyam Gawade, following the terrorist outfit’s call for the boycott of the assembly polls in the state. The explosion was carried out by cadres of Gobra Dalam of CPI (Maoist) with the support of OGWs from Badegobra and Chhotegobra villages.
The case, initially registered at Mainpur police station, was taken over by the NIA on February 22 last year. In December 2024, the agency filed a chargesheet against 10 accused in the case, with further investigations ongoing
(With inputs from ANI)
