Key Points

The accused have been identified as Sunita Potam, Shankar Muchaki, Dashrath alias Dasru Modiyam, and Mallesh Kunjam.

According to the NIA, Sunita, Shankar, and Dashrath were office bearers of the Moolwasi Bachao Manch (MBM), a frontal organisation of CPI (Maoist) that was banned by the Chhattisgarh government under Section 3(1) of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2005, in October last year. Mallesh, an armed cadre of CPI (Maoist), remains absconding.

Investigations have revealed that all four were actively engaged in raising, collecting, storing, and distributing funds to further the extremist agenda of CPI (Maoist).

These funds, the NIA said, were used to organise protests against the democratically elected government and obstruct developmental works in the state. MBM and other such frontal bodies allegedly acted as conduits for channelising these illicit funds.

With the latest charges, the number of accused in the case has risen to seven, of which six have been arrested.

The case traces back to May 2023, when the Bijapur Police intercepted MBM workers Gajendra Madvi and Laxman Kunjam with Rs 6 lakh in cash.

The duo was allegedly transporting the money to deposit into multiple bank accounts on the instructions of CPI (Maoist) leaders. They were chargesheeted by the Bijapur Police in November 2023.

The probe was later taken over by the NIA in February 2024, and the central agency filed its first supplementary chargesheet in August 2025, adding fresh charges against Gajendra and Laxman, along with another accused, Raghu Midiyami.

The present charge sheet further strengthens the case against the CPI (Maoist) network operating in Chhattisgarh through overground workers, sympathisers, and frontal organisations like MBM.

The NIA has said its investigation in the case RC-02/2023/NIA/RPR is still underway, and efforts are on to apprehend the absconding accused.

- IANS