The National Investigation Agency (NIA) apprehended two individuals in Koderma district, Jharkhand, after discovering detonators and other incriminating items during searches. The arrests of Mahesh Mehta and Shankar Yadav were linked to a 2024 motorcycle explosion in the Saltora area. The NIA stated that the duo was actively engaged in a criminal plot involving the illegal storage and transportation of explosives to co-accused individuals, posing a threat to life and property.
Three other suspects had previously been detained and charged in connection with the case RC-16/2024/NIA/DLI, which the NIA had initiated in October 2024. During the recent searches, a total of 1,662 non-electric detonators were confiscated, along with digital devices and Rs 16 lakh in cash. The case stemmed from an explosion that resulted in the death of an accused individual named Joydeb Mondal @ Bablu Mondal during the illicit transportation of explosives.
The NIA’s investigation unveiled a criminal conspiracy related to the illegal procurement, storage, and transportation of explosives without proper authorization. The agency identified a covert network involved in these activities, which also exhibited unsafe handling of the explosives. The NIA is actively investigating to trace the origin and intended destination of these seized explosives.
In a separate development, an NIA Special Court in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, sentenced three individuals to five years in prison each for their involvement in a terror conspiracy associated with radicalization, recruitment, and support for the banned CPI(Maoist) organization. The convicted individuals, Dongari Devendra, Dubashi Swapna, and Chukka Shilpa, were affiliated with Chaitanya Mahila Sangam (CMS), a group linked to CPI (Maoist). The court handed down the sentence under various sections of the UA(P) Act in case RC-02/2022/NIA/HYD.
