The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apprehended a key accused in a conspiracy case involving the CPI (Maoist) in Jharkhand.
According to an official press release, Bachha Singh, also known as Bachha Babu Singh, a resident of Govindpur(B) in Bokaro district, Jharkhand, was arrested on Friday. Singh had been named as an accused in the FIR registered against him.
The case, initially handled by the Anandpur police, was transferred to the NIA in August 2023. It involves charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P) Act) and the Criminal Law Amendment (CLA) Act.
Investigations revealed that Singh, who served as Secretary of the Majdoor Sanghatan Samiti (MSS)—a group banned by the Jharkhand government under the CLA Act—was actively involved with the proscribed CPI (Maoist) organization. Singh played a pivotal role in raising funds to support the outfit’s activities and propagate its ideology across Jharkhand and other regions.
The case originated in July 2022 with the arrest of three CPI (Maoist) cadres in the Chaibasa district of Jharkhand. The arrested individuals were reportedly en route to meet Misir Besra, a Polit Bureau member of the CPI (Maoist), carrying letters written by Maoist leaders Lajim Ansari and Saurabh. The investigation is ongoing.
Separately, in a significant development in the Bijoy Bhunia abduction and murder case in West Bengal, the NIA arrested an absconding accused in Pune, Maharashtra.
Mohan Mondal was apprehended on Thursday in connection with the May 2023 abduction and murder of Bijoy Krishna Bhunia in Goramahal village, Moyna, in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal. Mondal had been evading arrest and had non-bailable warrants issued against him.
He is the third individual arrested in the case, following the earlier apprehension of Naba Kumar Mondal and Suvendu Bhowmick. The NIA took over the investigation from Moyna police on the orders of the Calcutta High Court on April 5, 2024. Investigations in the case are also ongoing.
