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NIA raids 12 locations in Bastar; Deputy CM hails it as a blow to Maoist funding

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Raipur, Nov 8: Targeting armed cadres of the banned CPI (Maoist), the National Investigation Agency has raided 12 locations linked to the deadly Aranpur IED blast of May 2023 that killed 10 DRG personnel and a civilian driver.

Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Vijay Sharma lauded the NIA’s synchronised raids across 12 locations in Sukma and Dantewada districts, describing the operation as a “decisive blow” to Maoist financial networks and a “vital step toward lasting peace in Bastar”.

Speaking to reporters at his secretariat office, the Deputy CM said, the NIA’s action is not just investigative, it’s surgical.

“By hitting the economic spine of these extremists, we are choking their ability to wage war on the state and its people,” he said.

The deadly attack was executed by the Darbha Division Committee of Naxalites on April 26, 2023, near Pedka village in the Aranpur police station area of Dantewada district.

During the recent raids, the NIA recovered several critical and incriminating items, including cash, handwritten documents, and receipt books used by the Maoist organisation for levy collection.

Investigations have established that all the arrested individuals were directly linked to CPI (Maoist) cadres responsible for orchestrating the blast. The NIA continues its probe into the matter.

To date, two charge sheets have been filed in the case, and 27 people have been apprehended. With 27 arrests in the Aranpur case so far, more raids targeting urban sympathisers in Raipur and Bhilai.

Sharma said Bastar’s children deserve classrooms, not coffins.

“Today’s action is their future speaking louder than gunfire,” he said.

The raids began at 5 a.m. across remote villages like Konta, Chintagufa, and Errabor. In one instance at Gadiras, NIA sleuths – backed by CRPF CoBRA commandos – cordoned off a thatched safehouse, seizing a laptop allegedly used to coordinate levy demands from iron-ore transporters.

He linked the operation to the broader anti-Maoist strategy under ‘Mission Bastar 2026’, which aims to establish 48 new security camps and develop 12,000 km of all-weather roads by 2026.

The Aranpur blast, triggered by a 40-kg IED planted under a culvert on the Dantewada-Sukma highway, had exposed intelligence gaps. Friday’s recoveries include GPS coordinates matching the blast site, strengthening the probe. “This connects the dots from funding to execution,” Sharma said.

Crime

Bengal man arrested for sexually assaulting minor daughter

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Kolkata, Sep 12: A man in West Bengal South 24 Parganas district has been arrested for sexually assaulting his 13-year-old daughter, police said on Saturday.

According to the police, the elder daughter had filed a complaint against her father with the Baruipar police. She claimed that she left home due to sexual assault, which she was subjected to by her father, and alleged that he was doing the same to her younger sister. Based on that complaint, officers of Baruipur Women Police Station have arrested the accused.

According to the police, the arrested person is a hawker by profession.

Allegedly, in December last year, the accused’s elder daughter was subjected to physical abuse. She left home in anger and fear. The younger daughter alleged that her father’s misbehaviour was not resolved even after she informed her mother. The mother kept quiet even after knowing everything.

It is alleged that after the elder daughter left home, the father continued to sexually assault the younger daughter. The ‘victim’ claimed that this had been happening for the past few months. She said that there was no situation to tell anyone. She spoke to her sister on the phone. After that, both sisters informed their mother. Even after that, the mother remained silent and refused to accept their allegations.

Incidentally, the accused’s elder daughter called 100 and informed the police about the matter. Based on that, officers of Baruipur Women Police Station arrested the accused from the Kulpi Road area last night. A case has been registered against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. Police have applied for his custody to investigate the matter further.

“Based on the complaint by the daughter, the father has been arrested. We will seek his custody to interrogate him further. Investigation is on, and all the allegations are being looked into,” a senior officer of Baruipur Police District said.

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Crime

School bus driver shot at in MP’s Dabra; 50 terrified children on board witness crime

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Gwalior, Sep 12: In a shocking incident, a school bus driver was shot at by two youths following a dispute over a car parked in the middle of the road in Dabra town of Gwalior district on Saturday morning. Alarmingly, there were around 50 schoolchildren in the bus at the time of the incident who were left terrified after witnessing the crime, police said.

The incident occurred near Badi Akbai village under Pichhore police station limits when the bus belonging to Glorious Convent School, Tekanpur, was taking children to school.

According to police, a Swift car was parked in the middle of the road, obstructing traffic.

Unable to move forward because of the car parked in an awkward manner, bus driver Khem Singh sent his helper to ask the occupants to move the vehicle.

However, the men allegedly refused to move the vehicle, saying the car had run out of fuel.

When Singh got down and suggested that the car be pushed aside to clear the road, the youths allegedly became angry and an argument followed.

One of them allegedly pulled out a country-made pistol and fired four rounds at Singh. Pellets hit him near the eye and on the cheek, leaving him injured. The accused then fled from the spot.

The injured driver was initially taken to a hospital in Dabra and later referred to Gwalior for further treatment.

Pichhore SHO Shivam Singh Rajawat said the car had tinted windows and the word “Gurjar” was written on its rear windshield.

The firing took place while around 50 children were inside the school bus, triggering concern over their safety.

The children were reportedly terrified after the sudden gunfire and the attack on their driver.

SDOP Saurabh Kumar said police teams were working to identify and arrest the accused.

CCTV footage from the area is also being examined to trace their movements.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident and are questioning witnesses to establish the circumstances leading to the firing.

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Crime

Two convicted in 5.25-kg opium trafficking case in Aurangabad

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Patna, Sep 12: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Patna Zonal Unit, has secured the conviction of two men in a drug trafficking case involving the seizure of 5.250 kg of opium in Bihar’s Aurangabad district.

The contraband was seized on February 24, 2021, following specific Intelligence received by the NCB.

Acting on the information, officers intercepted accused Pramod Prasad at Ramabandh Bus Stand in the Town Police Station area of Aurangabad and recovered 5.250 kg of opium, which he had allegedly concealed in his clothes.

According to the NCB, the opium had been sourced from Daltonganj in Jharkhand and was being transported to Aurangabad in Bihar.

The case was registered as NCB Patna Zonal Unit Crime No. 04/2021 under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

During the subsequent investigation, the alleged supplier, identified as Bikesh Kumar Gupta, was also arrested.

The NCB said its investigation gathered evidence that was subsequently presented before the court to establish the involvement of both accused.

The 1st Additional District and Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge (NDPS Act), Aurangabad, found Pramod Prasad, a resident of Imamganj in Gaya district, and Bikesh Kumar Gupta alias Bikash Kumar Gupta, a resident of Panki in Palamu district of Jharkhand, guilty of offences under the NDPS Act.

The court sentenced both men to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each under the applicable Sections.

The court further directed that, in case of failure to pay the fine, each convict would undergo an additional one year of simple imprisonment.

The NCB attributed the conviction to the investigation and prosecution conducted by its officers and said it remains committed to curbing illicit drug trafficking and preventing drug abuse.

The Bureau has also appealed to members of the public to share information about the illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances through the MANAS portal or helpline number 1933.

The NCB said the identity of informants would be kept strictly confidential.

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