Published Sep 10, 2023 | 9:24 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 10, 2023 | 9:24 AM
NIA raids in Telangana Chhattisgarh. (creative commons)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday, 9 September, conducted a series of raids and searches in Telangana and Chhattisgarh in connection with an August case involving the recovery of explosive materials, drones and a lathe machine allegedly belonging to the Communist Party of India (Maoist) for use against security forces.
The NIA had registered the case against 12 accused after the explosive material and drones were seized from three of them in June in Cherla Mandal of Kothagudem in Telangana.
The three accused were arrested by the local police working jointly with other security agencies.
The lathe machine was intended for use in the manufacture of countrymade arms, to be deployed against the security forces in the Naxal-affected areas, according to a press release.
The case was subsequently handed over to the NIA in view of its inter-state security implications.
As part of its continuing investigations in the Cherla drone case, as it has come to be known, the NIA on Saturday raided eight locations in Telangana and Chhattisgarh.
Searches at the premises of the accused at five places in Warangal and two in Bhadradri Kothagudem in Telangana, as well as one place in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, led to the seizure of several digital devices and incriminating documents, the release said.
Detailed examination of these devices and documents is underway to unravel the accused’s involvement in extending logistic support to CPI (Maoist), an extremist Left Wing organisation involved in different kinds of unlawful activities with the stated aim of overthrowing the Union government through a prolonged “people’s war”, the release said.
The accused were prima facie providing raw materials to the proscribed organisation to further its anti-India agenda.
The CPI (Maoist) has, in recent times, started employing modern tools and technology to carry out its violent terrorist activities in various states, the NIA has said.
