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NIA accelerates action against Maoists, takes up another probe on smuggling of explosives
The federal agency has, in the last month, accelerated its crackdown on Maoists in Chhattisgarh, Bihar and other states.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken up an investigation to probe supply of weapons and explosives to Maoists with a purpose to target police officers in Andhra Pradesh, people familiar with the development said on Monday.
The federal agency has, in the last month, accelerated its crackdown on Maoists in Chhattisgarh, Bihar and other states as part of coordinated efforts to achieve the Centre’s target of eliminating left-wing extremism (LWE) by March 2026.
The latest case, taken up from Andhra Pradesh Police by the anti-terror probe agency, is linked with the arrest of two persons – Naka David Raj (from Odisha) and Vijay Viswas (from Dantewada) in the Chinturu area of Alluri Sitharama Raju district in February this year. The duo was travelling on a two-wheeler when intercepted by police officers. They were found in possession of fuse wire, detonators, gelatin sticks, and handwritten sheets in Hindu and Telugu.
“Their questioning revealed that they were in contact with members of Maoist cadres in the area and were supplying explosives with a purpose to attack police personnel in the area,” said an officer, requesting anonymity.
“Smuggling of weapons by two accused persons from Odisha and Chhattisgarh to Maoists in Andhra Pradesh is a serious matter due to which the ministry of home affairs (MHA) decided to hand over the probe to the NIA,” the officer added.
On Saturday, NIA sleuths raided several locations across the Amabeda area in North Bastar district of Chhattisgarh in connection with the killing of an Indian Army soldier in February last year. Earlier, on September 19, the agency raided several locations in Magadh division of Bihar during a probe into an attempt to revive Maoist activities in the region and recovered several weapons, cash worth ₹4.03 crore, and incriminating documents.
The action comes weeks after Union home minister Amit Shah met officials from security and investigation agencies in Raipur on August 24. .
During the meeting, Shah had asked security forces that there was a need to strictly prevent the financing of LWE, supply of weapons and their manufacturing.
