Raipur, April 24 A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Chhattisgarh has sentenced three men to seven years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) each, along with a fine for supplying explosives and other material to Maoists for attacking the police force and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
They were arrested on March 8, 2023, from Belpocha village under Konta Police Station limits in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh.
The three men were apprehended when they were waiting for a person to supply explosive materials to cadres of the banned CPI (Maoist) terror outfit in Chhattisgarh.
The accused, identified as Semal Deepak, Nara Bhaskar and Telam Mutta, all residents of Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, have been convicted and sentenced by the court under various sections of the UA(P) Act and the Explosive Substances Act. All sentences will run concurrently, entailing seven years in jail for the accused, along with a Rs 500 fine against each.
The convicts will be liable for another month of RI in case of default in payment of the fine, as per the court’s orders. The three men, found to be over-ground workers of CPI (Maoist), were arrested by the state police, who had subsequently recovered an electronic detonator, Cordtex wire (Cordtex is a type of detonating cord, a device used to initiate explosions) and gelatin from their possession.
One more accused, namely Putti Pappy Reddy, was also later arrested but has now been acquitted by the court.
NIA investigations revealed that the three were in touch with active Maoist cadres and were involved in the procurement and supply of explosives and daily use items for these cadres. NIA, which took over the investigation from the state police in February 2024, found oral and documentary evidence to support the case against the accused, leading to their conviction and sentencing by the special court.
Police had arrested the three arms suppliers and recovered one motorcycle bearing number CG-26J-0754 and two mobiles in a bag; 20 batteries separately; an electronic detonator in 45 pieces; gelatin rods in 43 pieces; Cordtex wire; electrical wire; and a red Naxalite banner with Konta Area Committee BCP Maoism written on it.
They were following the orders of Vetti Bhima, a Maoist commander, and were waiting for one Rama, who was a resident of Gompada, to hand over the explosives and other materials for further delivery to Maoist cadres. The supply material, they told the police, was to be used in the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force and police force and loot their arms and ammunition.
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