Representative image showing NIA sleuths.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi/Ranchi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday searched multiple locations in Jharkhand's Bokaro district in connection with the February 2024 attack on security forces by Naxals, according to an official statement.
NIA teams conducted searches at the premises of suspects and overground workers (OGWs) at eight locations, and seized digital devices such as laptop, mobile phones and memory cards, along with SIM cards, pocket diaries and incriminating documents, it said.
The NIA has also arrested a key accused involved in collecting money to promote the ideology of a banned CPI (Maoist) outfit in Jharkhand.
Bachha Singh alias Bachha Babu Singh, a resident of Govindpur (B) in district Bokaro of Jharkhand was apprehended by the NIA on Friday.
NIA, which took over the case from the Anandpur Police in August 2023 found that Bachha Singh was the Secretary of Majdoor Sanghatan Samiti (MSS), currently banned by the Jharkhand government.
The accused was actively associated with the proscribed terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist) and its top leaders.
The case relates to the unlawful activities of leaders and cadres of CPI (Maoist) and the attack by the outfit on security forces in the forest area of police station Chatro-Chatti, Bokaro.
On the day of the incident, commanders of the banned organisation had camped in the forest area (Sundari Pahari) along with 15-20 Naxal cadres to conspire to commit crime, recruit youth and collect levy, and to attack security forces.
Acting on inputs received, a team of Jharkhand Police and CRPF had initiated a search and combing operation, during which the Naxals had started firing indiscriminately, the statement said.
The security forces had opened retaliatory fire but, taking advantage of the thick forest, the Naxals had managed to escape.
The search operation had, however, led to the recovery of digital devices, naxal literature, and other incriminating articles by the local police, which registered the initial case.