NIA chargesheets four CPI(Maoist) cadres in Kerala police commandos firing case

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday chargesheeted four cadres of CPI (Maoist) in a case related to firing at the commandos of the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Thalapuzha area of Wayanad district in Kerala last year, according to an official statement.

The incident occurred on November 7, 2023, when the SOG team of Kerala Police was on a combing operation in Perya, Wayanad, to track and nab armed cadres of the banned naxal outfit, the CPI (Maoist). The team came under attack as it zoomed in on the cadres present in a house, it said.

In the ensuing operation, two CPI (Maoist) members, identified as Thiruvenkidam alias Chandru alias Chandu and Shreemathi alias Unnimaya alias Unni, were apprehended, said the statement issued by the probe agency. Three others, including Latha alias Meera and Sundari alias Jenny, however, fled the scene of the encounter.

NIA, which took over the investigation from Kerala Police on February 10, 2024, on Friday filed its chargesheet against Thiruvenkidam, Shreemathi, Latha and Sundari in the case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Arms Act in a designated court in Kerala.

The agency is carrying on with its investigation and has launched a manhunt for the three absconding accused -- Sundari, who is carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh, Latha and another accused person, the statement said.