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NIA likely to probe into Naxal network in Uttar Pradesh
On Tuesday, the agency conducted searches at eight locations in Prayagraj, Varanasi, Chandauli, Azamgarh and Deoria as part of investigation into the revival of banned political party and alleged Naxal organisation - Communist Party of India - Maoist
LUCKNOW The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was likely to take over the probe into the Naxal network in the state after the ATS arrested five alleged operatives involved in re-establishing the outlawed CPI (Maoist) from Ballia on August 16, said police officials on Friday.
The agency had on Tuesday conducted searches at eight locations in Prayagraj, Varanasi, Chandauli, Azamgarh and Deoria districts as part of ongoing investigation into the revival of banned political party and alleged Naxal organisation - Communist Party of India - Maoist. Investigations revealed that Pramod Mishra was the leader of these cadres, sympathizers, and over ground workers (OGWs) associated with the organization.
The ATS officials had also claimed the five key accused arrested were working under the leadership of Mishra, who formed an ad hoc committee with help of another CPI (Maoist) leader Santosh Verma after the death of its main leader Sandeep Yadav alias Rupesh, who carried a bounty of ₹84 lakh from different state governments. They said Sandeep was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a village of Gaya district in Bihar in May 2022.
A UP Police official said the arrests of five alleged Naxalites in Ballia and raids in U.P. were both linked with the same network of people following which it was most likely that the NIA would take over the investigations. He said the ATS had already shared probe findings in the case with NIA officials.
He said all five accused arrested from Ballia had been booked under IPC sections 121-A (waging war against the nation and collecting firearms with intent to wage war against the nation) and other sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
