Raids in CG expose poll attack links

 

Raids across six villages

in Maoist-infested zones recover Rs 1.5 lakh, mobile phones and incriminating material Investigation reveals Mainpur-Nuapada division’s role in poll team ambush, 10 accused already chargesheeted n The Hitavada State Bureau GARIABAND/RAIPUR, Dec 28 THE National Investigation Agency (NIA) has intensified its crackdown on the Maoist network, conducting coordinated raids across six remote villages in Chhattisgarh’s Maoist-dominated areas.

 

These searches were linked to the attack on a polling team during the 2023 Assembly elections, where a deadly IED blast killed an ITBP head constable. The raids, conducted in villages including Rawandiggi, Semra, Mainpur, Ghoragaon, Kerabahra, and Gariaband, targeted 11 suspects identified as overground workers (OWGs) and sympathizers of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) terror group’s Mainpur-Nuapada division. This division is known for its strategic and operational control over the insurgency in the region. The NIA recovered significant evidence, including Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, mobile phones, digital devices, and Maoist propaganda materials such as pamphlets and booklets. Investigators believe these materials will bolster ongoing efforts to dismantle the financial and logistical networks aiding

 

Maoist activities. Officials revealed that the suspects’ names emerged during the investigation of case RC-05/2024/NIA-RPR, which focuses on the November 2023 attack in Dhamtari district. The polling team, returning from Badegobra village, was ambushed with an improvised explosive device (IED), causing fatal injuries and sparking national outrage. So far, the NIA has filed chargesheets against 10 individuals in this case. The raids mark a decisive step in unearthing the Mainpur-Nuapada division’s extensive underground network, often used to target democratic processes and security forces. “The seized evidence will play a critical role in connecting the dots between the Maoist leadership and their overground supporters, helping to disrupt future attacks. Our actions are aimed at ensuring such acts of insurgency do not sabotage the democratic framework of the region,” NIA investigators told The Hitavada. Driver held with truckload of... slaughter in both Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. D. Sahu, Station House Officer of Kumhari Police, confirmed that the driver, identified as Mohammed Jamshed (45) from Begusarai, Bihar, was taken into custody. The police have registered a case under relevant sections of Chhattisgarh Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act 2004.