NIA Charges Two Bihar Residents in CPI (Maoist) Magadh Zone Revival Terror Financing Conspiracy

Patna: The NIA Special Court in Patna on Saturday sentenced six accused individuals to rigorous imprisonment and imposed fines under various penal sections in a 2016 case involving the planting of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on the railway track near Ghorasahan railway station in Bihar. The accused were involved in planting a pressure cooker IED on the railway track on the night of September 30 in an attempt to blast a passenger train coming from Narkatiaganj. Fortunately, the IED was spotted by local residents and successfully defused before it could explode. During the investigation, the local police established the involvement of the following accused: Umashankar Raut (also known as Umashankar Patel or Raju Patel), Gajendra Sharma (also known as Gajendra Thakur), Rakesh Kumar Yadav (also known as Rakesh), Mukesh Kumar Yadav (also known as Mukesh), Motilal Paswan (also known as Moti), and Ranjay Kumar Sah (also known as Ranjay). Initially, three of the accused were arrested by the local police, while two others were nabbed later by the NIA on different occasions after it took over the probe in January 2017. The sixth accused surrendered in February 2017. The chargesheet against all accused was filed by the NIA in July 2017. On September 24, 2024, the NIA Court found the accused guilty. Today, the court announced the sentences against them under relevant sections of the IPC, UA(P) Act, Explosive Substances Act, and Railway Act. The sentences pronounced by the court range from 5 to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment along with fines, which will run concurrently, with an extension of 3 months of imprisonment in case of non payment of fines.

RANCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took a significant step in dismantling the CPI (Maoist) terror financing network by filing a second supplementary chargesheet on Monday. The chargesheet pertains to the outfit’s efforts to revive Naxal activities in the Magadh region of Bihar, contributing to the overall goal of dismantling the terror infrastructure established by the CPI (Maoist) for violent and terror-related activities in the country.

The accused named in the supplementary chargesheet, filed before the NIA Special Court in Ranchi, Jharkhand, are Vijay Kumar Arya alias Vijay Arya alias Dilip and Anand Paswan alias Anandi Paswan, both residents of Bihar. Both individuals face charges under Section 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Additionally, Vijay Kumar Arya faces additional charges under Section 120B, read with sections 13, 18, 20, 38, and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UA(P) Act), while Anand Paswan faces charges under Section 39 of UA(P) Act and Section 25(1B)(a) of the Arms Act.

The case (RC-05/2021/NIA-RNC) revolves around the terror finance network operated by CPI (Maoist) cadres and Over Ground Workers (OGWs) in the Magadh Region of Bihar. The NIA initiated the case suo moto on December 30, 2021, leading to the arrest of five accused persons: Tarun Kumar, Pradyuman Sharma, Abinav alias Gaurav, Anandi Paswan, and Vijay Kumar Arya. The first three accused were previously chargesheeted on January 20 and June 28 this year.

As part of their criminal conspiracy, the accused were involved in collecting funds for procuring arms and ammunition, as well as recruiting new cadres in collaboration with incarcerated Naxals and OGWs in various jails.

Investigations uncovered that Vijay Kumar Arya held the position of Central Committee Member within the CPI (Maoist) and played a role in motivating ex-cadres. He also acted as a conduit between the outfit’s operatives and other stakeholders in the CPI (Maoist) Magadh Zone in Jharkhand and Bihar. Anand Paswan, identified as a key supporter and ex-cadre of the banned organization, was found in possession of arms and ammunition.