NIA Files Supplementary Chargesheet Against Three in Jharkhand Maoist Terror Funding Case

Ranchi – The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary chargesheet before a special court in Ranchi against three individuals in connection with a 2023 terror conspiracy case involving the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit in Jharkhand.

The accused – Krishna Hansda, Abhijit Korah, and Ramdayal Mahto – have been charged with raising funds for terrorist activities and organizing training camps. While Hansda and Mahto are from Jharkhand, Korah is a resident of Bihar.

According to the NIA, all three were active members of the CPI (Maoist) and part of a broader conspiracy involving extortion, armed intimidation, and forced recruitment in the Parasnath region of Giridih district.

The case began with the arrest of Krishna Hansda in January 2023 from the Lucio Forest area under Dumri police station in Giridih. During the operation, local police recovered extortion money, a 7.65 mm pistol, and several incriminating documents from him. An FIR was filed against Hansda, Korah, Mahto, and other unidentified individuals, followed by an initial chargesheet against Hansda.

In the supplementary chargesheet, Hansda, also known as Saurav Da or Avinash Da, has been additionally charged under multiple sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, related to recruitment, financing, and membership of a terrorist organisation. He has also been booked under Section 25(6) of the Arms Act, 1959, related to possession of illegal weapons. Hansda was a Regional Committee Member of the CPI (Maoist).

Abhijit Korah, alias Matla Korah or Sunil Korah, an armed cadre of the group, has been charged under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121A (conspiring to wage war against the state), 386 and 387 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as well as Section 17 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908, and various provisions of the UAPA.

Ramdayal Mahto, also known as Nilesh Da or Bachchan Da, has been booked under similar IPC and UAPA sections. He held the rank of Special Area Committee (SAC) member in the Maoist organisation.

The NIA officially took over the case in June 2023 and re-registered it as RC-01/2023/NIA/RNC.

With inputs from IANS