Daijiworld Media Network - Raipur
Raipur, Nov 8: In a major offensive against the banned CPI (Maoist), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday carried out simultaneous raids at 12 locations in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Dantewada districts. The operation is linked to the April 2023 Aranpur IED blast that claimed the lives of 10 District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel and a civilian driver.
Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister and Home Minister Vijay Sharma hailed the coordinated action as a “decisive blow” to Maoist financial structures and a “vital step toward lasting peace in Bastar.”
Speaking to reporters, Sharma said, “This is not just an investigation—it’s a surgical strike. By crippling the Maoists’ economic backbone, we are cutting off their capacity to wage war against the state and its people.”
Raids and Recoveries
The pre-dawn raids began around 5 a.m. in remote villages including Konta, Chintagufa, Errabor, and Gadiras. Backed by CRPF CoBRA commandos, NIA teams seized crucial evidence such as cash, handwritten notes, levy receipt books, and a laptop allegedly used to coordinate extortion operations targeting iron-ore transporters.
Officials said the items recovered “connect the dots from funding to execution,” with GPS data matching the Aranpur blast site. The attack, carried out by the Maoists’ Darbha Division Committee, involved a 40-kg IED planted under a culvert on the Dantewada–Sukma highway.
Arrests and Ongoing Probe
So far, 27 people have been arrested and two charge sheets filed in the case. The NIA is now expanding its probe to track urban Maoist sympathisers in Raipur and Bhilai. Investigators believe the suspects were directly linked to the cadres who executed the deadly explosion.
“Classrooms, Not Coffins”
Emphasising the human cost of extremism, Sharma said, “Bastar’s children deserve classrooms, not coffins. Today’s action is their future speaking louder than gunfire.”
He linked the operation to the state’s broader Mission Bastar 2026 initiative, which aims to set up 48 new security camps and construct over 12,000 km of all-weather roads by 2026.
Friday’s raids, officials said, mark a significant milestone in dismantling the Maoists’ logistical and financial ecosystem—bringing the state one step closer to ending decades of insurgency in Bastar.