NIA conducts raids across Telangana, Chhattisgarh in CPI (Maoist) case

A series of raids and searches were conducted in Telangana and Chhattisgarh in connection with an August 2023 case involving the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist)," NIA officials said

Hyderabad: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted a series of raids and searches in Telangana and Chhattisgarh in connection with the ‘Cherla Drone case’, involving recovery of explosive materials, drones and a lathe machine allegedly used against security forces.

According to the NIA, the agency had registered the case in August 2023 against 12 persons after the explosive materials, drones and a lathe machine were seized from three of the suspects in the month of June in Cherla mandal of Kothagudem district of Telangana. The local police who had arrested the three suspects maintained that the cache was intended for use in manufacturing of country made arms, to be used against the security forces in India’s Naxal affected areas. The case was subsequently handed over to the NIA in view of its major inter-State security implications for the country.

---

As part of its continuing investigations the NIA conducted searches at the premises of suspects at five places in Warangal and two in Bhadradri Kothagudem in Telangana, as well as one place in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh. It led to the seizure of several digital devices and incriminating documents, the NIA stated in a press release.

“A detailed examination of these devices and documents is under way to unravel the involvement of the suspects in extending logistic support to CPI (Maoist). The accused were prima facie providing raw materials to the banned organisation to further its anti-India agenda,” the NIA release added.