Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, June 8
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at seven locations in Jharkhand and Bihar in connection with the brutal murder of Naresh Singh Bhokta by CPI (Maoist), a banned terrorist organisation.
Bhokta was abducted and killed on the night of November 2, 2018, after being labelled as a police informer by the top leadership and Naxal cadres of CPI (Maoist) at a so-called ‘Jan Adalat’ (public hearing) called by the banned terrorist outfit.
His body was found near village Badhai Bigha in the area of police station Madanpur of Aurangabad district in Bihar. It was a suspected case of “supari killing”, the local police officials had suspected.
NIA today conducted searches at the premises of the accused and suspected persons in Gaya and Aurangabad district of Bihar and Palamu district of Jharkhand in the case (RC-25/2022/NIA-DLI), according to NIA official spokes person.
The searches were conducted at the residential premises of five arrested Commanders and two suspected supporters of the CPI (Maoist). The searches led to the seizure of various digital devices, viz. mobile phones, SIM cards, along with incriminating documents.
NIA had taken over the case from the Bihar Police on June 24 last year.
A total of nine persons have been arrested in the case so far. In February 2023, NIA had filed a supplementary charge-sheet against Ajay Singh Bhokta s/o Jagdish Singh Bhokta u/s 120B, 121A, 364, 471 & 302 of IPC, Section 25 (1A) & 27 of Arms Act, Section 13, 16, 18, 20. 38, & 39 of UA (P) Act 1967 in the case.
In the course of its investigations, NIA had discovered the involvement of top CPI (Maoist) Commanders in the murder conspiracy, and had also recovered the weapons and vehicles used in the killing.
