NIA Charges Five in Explosive Procurement Case Linked to Maoists

The National Investigation Agency has charged five individuals in a 2024 case involving the supply of explosives to the CPI (Maoist) group in Chhattisgarh. Manish Sodhi and four absconders are accused of obtaining materials to make IEDs for armed Maoist operations against security forces.

On Tuesday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against five individuals in a 2024 case concerning the illegal procurement and distribution of explosives to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) in Chhattisgarh.

Among those accused is Manish Sodhi, who was apprehended earlier this year, along with four fugitives from Sukma district, named as Sodhi Kesa, Manila, Madkam Kesa, and Sodhi Lakhma. The NIA announced their formal charges in a statement.

The agency's supplementary chargesheet, presented at the NIA special court in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, highlights the accused's involvement in supplying banned items aimed at arming the Maoist organization's People's Liberation Guerrilla Army to target security forces. Earlier investigations linked seized explosive components to a wider terror funding network, previously initiated by local police.

(With inputs from agencies.)