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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested a top Maoist leader as it carried out raids at 62 locations across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the Communist Party of India-Maoist conspiracy case, an official said.
The day-long searches, which were conducted mostly in Andhra Pradesh, also led to the recovery of weapons, cash and incriminating documents, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.
Chandra Narasimhulu, a state executive committee member of the Pragathiseela Karmika Samakya (PKS), was arrested from Satya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh, the spokesperson said.
A pistol with 14 rounds was seized from the location and an amount of 13 lakh was seized from one of the premises in Kadapa district, the NIA said, adding Maoist literature and documents were seized from other locations.
The raids covered 53 locations in Guntur, Palanadu, Vijayawada, Rajhmundry, Prakasam, Bapatla, Eluru, East Godavari, D R Ambedkar Konaseema, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Nellore, Tirupati, Kadapa, Sathya Sai, Anantapur and Kurnool districts in Andhra Pradesh.
Nine locations were raided in Telangana's Hyderabad, Mahabub Nagar, Hanumakonda, Ranga Reddy and Adilabad districts.
The spokesperson said Narasimhulu's custodial interrogation is expected to yield further information about the conspiracy relating to attempts by various frontal organisations to further the activities of the proscribed outfit CPI-Maoist.
The frontal organisations include Civil Liberties Committee (CLC), Amarula Bandhu Mitrula Sangham (ABMS), Chaitanya Mahila Sangham (CMS), Kula Nirmulana Porata Samathi (KNPS), Patriotic Democratic Movement (PDM), Pragathiseela Karmika Samakya (PKS), Praja Kala Mandali (PKM), Revolutionary Writers Association (RWA) or Viplava Rachaitala Sangam (VIRASAM), Human Rights Forum (HRF), Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP) and Indian Association of Peoples Lawyers (IAPL).
"The investigations so far have revealed that leaders and members of these frontal organisations were extending support to the CPI (Maoist), which was banned as a terrorist outfit in 2009. The premises raided belonged to members and cadres of the frontal organisations," the spokesperson said.
The case was initially registered by the Munchingputu police of Alluri Sitharamaraju district on November 23, 2020 based on information relating to the movement of Maoists and transportation of their literature.
Police had intercepted one Pangi Naganna, who was carrying Maoist revolutionary literature books, medicines, a red cloth banner, electrical wire bundles, Nippo batteries and pamphlets to hand over to the Maoist cadres.
Detailed interrogation of Naganna revealed that the items were given to him by the leaders of the frontal organisations, the NIA spokesperson said.
On May 21, 2021, the NIA filed a charge sheet against seven accused before a special court in Vijayawada. Of these, five belonged to frontal organisations -- ABMS, CMS, PKS, PDM and PKM.