The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged 17 Maoists in connection with the attack on a CRPF camp in Bijapur district, filing a chargesheet in a special court in Jagdalpur. The attacks occurred on January 16, 2024, targeting CRPF and Cobra camps at Dharmavaram, Chintawagu, and Pameda. One Maoist has been apprehended.
The chargesheet identifies the arrested Maoist as Sodi Baman alias Deval. The remaining 16 accused are still at large, including high-ranking members of the CPI (Maoist), such as 2 Central Committee members, 2 senior state leaders, and key cadres from the Telangana State Committee, Pameda Area Committee, and PLGA Battalion No. 01.
The charges filed against the Maoists encompass various sections of the IPC, the Arms Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and the UAPA. These charges stem from the attacks on the CRPF camp in Dharmavaram, as well as the adjacent camps in Chintawagu and Pameda, on January 16, 2024. The attackers were attempting to steal weapons and other resources from the camps. Previously, on December 17, 2023, the Dharmavaram CRPF camp suffered an attack that resulted in injuries to 12 CRPF personnel.
The NIA took over the investigation from local police on February 9, 2024. A case was registered against 21 named individuals and approximately 250-300 unidentified armed cadres of the CPI (Maoist). The investigation revealed the accused were involved in recruiting young people to wage war against the Indian government. They were in possession of illegal weapons, ammunition, and explosives, and participated in meetings to plan the attacks.
The Maoists had also set up a training camp that replicated the targeted camp, trained their armed cadres for armed revolt, delivered speeches to motivate them, and carried out reconnaissance before the final attacks. The investigation is ongoing.