Daijiworld Media Network - Raipur

Raipur/Jagdalpur, Dec 30: In a major development against the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary charge-sheet against five individuals, including four absconders, for allegedly procuring and supplying explosives intended for attacks on security forces.

The charge-sheet was submitted on Tuesday before the NIA Special Court in Jagdalpur. The accused include the arrested suspect Manish Sodhi alias Hurra, along with fugitives Sodhi Kesa, Manila, Madkam Kesa, and Sodhi Lakhma, all hailing from Sukma district in Chhattisgarh. They face charges under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Manish Sodhi was apprehended in July 2025, marking a significant breakthrough in the case. With this filing, a total of seven individuals have now been charge-sheeted.

NIA investigations revealed that the accused actively facilitated the procurement of explosives and other materials for the CPI (Maoist). These were reportedly intended for use by the outfit’s People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1 and cadres operating in Sukma’s Jagargunda area. The materials were meant to manufacture Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) targeting security personnel engaged in anti-Naxal operations in Bastar.

The case traces back to the Chhattisgarh police, who registered it following the arrest of two individuals, Mantosh Mandal and S. Nagarjun, on September 25, 2024. Interrogation led to the seizure of explosives, including tiffin bombs, detonators, potassium nitrate, aluminium powder, packaging materials, Naxal literature, and mobile phones. Further investigations exposed a terror funding network and a sophisticated supply chain linked directly to Maoist activities.

The NIA took over the probe in December 2024, intensifying efforts to dismantle the network. Authorities highlighted that the accused were in unlawful possession of materials explicitly intended for Maoist operations. Investigations are ongoing to apprehend the absconding suspects and trace deeper links in the supply chain, reinforcing the agency’s resolve to counter left-wing extremism in India’s red corridor.