NIA charge sheets five in Maoist explosives supply case in Chhattisgarh

Raipur/Jagdalpur, Dec 30 In a significant blow to the banned CPI (Maoist) terrorist organisation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary charge-sheet against five accused individuals, including four absconders, for their alleged role in 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—arrested individual Manish Sodhi alias Hurra, and fugitives Sodhi Kesa, Manila, Madkam Kesa, and Sodhi Lakhma—all residents of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh, have been charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Manish Sodhi was arrested by the NIA in July 2025, marking a key breakthrough.

With this filing, the agency has now charge-sheeted a total of seven persons in the case.

NIA investigations revealed that the five accused were actively involved in acquiring explosives and other incriminating materials for the proscribed CPI (Maoist). These items were destined for members of the outfit's People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1 and cadres operating in the Jagargunda area of Sukma district.

Probes uncovered that the Maoists planned to manufacture Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) using the supplied materials, primarily to target security personnel engaged in anti-Naxal operations in the Bastar region.

The case originated with the Chhattisgarh state police, who registered it after arresting two individuals—Mantosh Mandal and S. Nagarjun—on September 25, 2024. Interrogation of the duo led to the seizure of significant explosive materials, including tiffin bombs, detonators, potassium nitrate, aluminium metal powder, packaging wrappers, Naxal literature, and mobile phones.

Further inquiries exposed a terror funding trail and a sophisticated supply chain linking the seized items directly to Maoist activities.

The NIA assumed control of the investigation in December 2024, intensifying efforts to dismantle the network. The agency emphasised that the accused were in unlawful possession of materials explicitly meant to bolster Maoist terror operations.

Ongoing investigations aim to apprehend the absconding accused and uncover deeper linkages in the supply chain. This action underscores the NIA's commitment to neutralising threats from left-wing extremism in India's red corridor.

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