Ranchi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday charge-sheeted a sixth accused in a CPI (Maoist) conspiracy case linked to efforts to revive the banned outfit’s activities in the Magadh zone and raise funds through extortion for procuring arms and ammunition.In a statement, the agency said it has filed a third supplementary charge sheet before the NIA Special Court in Ranchi against Chandan Kumar. The case was registered suo motu by the NIA in Dec 2021.According to the NIA, Chandan, who was arrested from Mumbai in Jan 2026, played a key role in raising funds for the CPI (Maoist). Investigators alleged that he was actively trying to revive the outfit in the Magadh zone by persuading former cadres to rejoin the organisation, propagate its ideology and engage in violent activities.The agency said the Ranchi NIA court had earlier declared Chandan an absconder and issued a non-bailable warrant against him in Oct 2023.The other accused already charge-sheeted in the case are Pradyuman, Yogendra Ravidas, Nagendra Giri, Abhinav and Dhananjay Paswan.NIA investigations have revealed that the accused allegedly collected funds through extortion and levy from contractors. The money was then routed through multiple channels and used for procuring arms and ammunition as well as training cadres in the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).The agency further claimed that Chandan had planned to establish contact with incarcerated Maoists and overground workers (OGWs) lodged in various jails to facilitate terrorist activities as part of the outfit’s revival agenda.
