New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted a series of raids and searches in Telangana and Chhattisgarh in connection with a case involving the recovery of explosive materials, drones, and a lathe machine involving the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) for use against security forces.
The NIA had earlier registered the case against 12 accused after the explosive materials, drones and a lathe machine were seized from three accused in June in Cherla mandal of Kothagudem, Telangana, the anti-terror probe agency said.
All three accused were arrested by the local police working jointly with other security agencies, it stated.
"The cache was intended for use in manufacturing of countrymade arms, to be deployed 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," NIA officials said.
As part of its continuing investigations in the Cherla drone case, as it has come to be known, the NIA today raided eight locations in the two states of Telangana and Chhattisgarh.
Searches at the premises of the accused at five places in Warangal and two in Bhadradri Kothagudam in Telangana, as well as one place in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, led to the seizure of several digital devices and incriminating documents, the anti-terror agency said.
As per NIA, a detailed examination of these devices and documents was underway to unravel the accused’s involvement in extending logistic support to CPI (Maoist), a Left Wing extremist organisation involved in different kinds of unlawful activities with the stated aim of overthrowing the Indian government through a prolonged so-called ‘people’s war’.
The accused were prima facie providing raw materials to the proscribed organisation to further its anti-India agenda, NIA added.