Jharkhand: NIA charges 11 including one BSF officer over supply of arms to CPI (Maoist)

In a key development, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday filed a charge sheet in Ranchi’s Special Court against 11 accused in connection with the case of pilferage of arms and ammunition and supplying weapons to a terrorist organisation in Jharkhand. Eleven accused identified as Avinash Kumar of Gaya, Rishi Kumar of Patna, Pankaj Kumar Singh of Dhanbad, Kamendra Singh of Burdhawan, Arun Kumar Singh of Saran, Hirla Guman Singh Ucchware, Shivlal Dhawal Singh Chauhan and Kumar Gurlal Uchchware of Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur, Kartik Behra of Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawa, Aman Sahu and Sanjay Kumar of Ranchi are booked under several sections of IPC, Arms Act and UA(P) Act, 1967. 

As per NIA's press release, the case pertains to the supply of arms and ammunition to the armed cadres of CPI (Maoist) and a gang. It is learned that the gang of Aman Sahu has utilised these weapons in executing terrorist attacks on the security forces and also for the purpose of extortion. 

Earlier in November 2021, the case was registered in Ranchi and was later taken over by NIA on December 9, 2021. As per the investigation, ammunition of various calibers was pilfered from a magazine of BSF by an accused named Kartik Behra and was later supplied to his close associate Arun Kumar Singh.

In association with some of the other charge-sheeted accused, the same was then supplied to the armed cadres of the CPI (Maoist) and the gang of Aman Sahu. Four accused, against whom a charge sheet has been filed in the case, were also found involved in the procurement and transfer of illegal firearms. Accused Kartik Behera was dismissed from the BSF owing to his involvement in pilferage and supply of ammunition. Further investigation into the case is underway.

NIA chargesheets five for smuggling arms

Earlier on March 4, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a charge sheet against five suspected Khalistani operatives in a case of arms and narcotics smuggling from across the border via drones.

The charge sheet has been filed against the accused identified as Harmesh Singh, Darvesh Singh, Gurmukh Singh, Gagandeep Singh, and Lakhbir Singh Rode. It is learned that all the accused are residents of Punjab.

"An investigation has revealed that the charge-sheeted accused persons had smuggled illegal consignments of arms, ammunition, explosives, and narcotics from across the India-Pakistan border to carry out terror activities in India,” the NIA said in a statement.

(Image: PTI/RepresentativeImage)