NIA chargesheets five Maoist operatives in Chhattisgarh

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted five Maoist operatives in connection with the February 2024 Chhattisgarh arms recovery case, an official statement issued on Saturday said.

The chargesheeted accused -- Anish Khan alias Annu Khan, Anil Kumar Netam, Jaysing Hidko, Raghvueer Jain and Shailendra Kumar Baghel alias Golu -- have been identified as Over Ground Workers (OGWs), including one supplier, for the banned terror organisation CPI (Maoist), it said.

All of them were active cadres of the Kuyemari Area Committee of the terror outfit, said the statement issued by the NIA.

The NIA in its supplementary charge sheet filed before the special court in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, has charged them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Explosives Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, it said.

The counter-terror agency had earlier in August 2024 chargesheeted two armed cadres -- Vinod Awalam and Ashu Korsa -- of the CPI (Maoist).

The NIA investigations revealed that Anish Khan had supplied explosives substances to the CPI (Maoist) cadres in the forest area of Aalparas village which were later recovered.

"The other accused chargesheeted today had provided shelter and logistics support to the Maoist cadres for carrying out a fatal attack on security forces around Mujalgondi village in Kanker district," the statement said.

The investigations in the case are continuing as part of the NIA's efforts to scuttle the Maoist outfit's terror agenda, it added.