NIA Conducts Raids in Five States to Investigate CPI (Maoist) Revival Efforts

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out extensive searches across five states on Friday as part of an ongoing investigation into efforts to revive the banned CPI (Maoist) group in the Northern Regional Bureau (NRB) region.

The raids targeted multiple locations, including two in Patiala and Sri Muktsar Sahib districts of Punjab, four in Manesar and Gurgaon districts of Haryana, two in New Delhi, and one each in Patna district of Bihar and Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh.

According to the NIA, the suspects targeted during these searches are believed to have played a role in spreading the CPI (Maoist) ideology and attempting to rebuild its NRB wing through front organizations.

During the operation, the agency seized several digital devices, such as mobile phones, laptops, pen drives, hard drives, and SIM cards. Officials also recovered documents suspected to be linked to Naxal activities.

The case, registered as RC-01/2023/NIA-LKW, revolves around efforts by CPI (Maoist) members, sympathizers, and overground workers (OGWs) to regain influence in the NRB region, which includes Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Preliminary investigations suggest that funding from the group’s Eastern Regional Bureau (ERB), particularly from Jharkhand, was being funneled to support recruitment and the establishment of front organizations in northern states.

The agency also uncovered evidence suggesting that these front groups and student organizations were tasked with identifying potential recruits to join underground operations aimed at conducting violent activities against the Indian government.