Kolkata: NIA conducted raids at 12 locations in the state on Tuesday over funding of Maoist groups in Chhattisgarh. Sources said raids were conducted at Sodepur and Jagaddal in North 24 Parganas, Asansol in West Burdwan, and Netaji Nagar in Kolkata.
NIA officials were accompanied by a Bengal police STF. The investigation was focused on two women and their associates.“These two women sent funds to Maoist groups in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. The raids were to find their exact roles in the Maoist organisation,” said a source.
At 5.55am on Tuesday, investigators conducted a raid at the home of a human rights activist at Disergar near Sitala temple of Kulti in West Burdwan. The woman has been living in the area for 15 to 16 years. Locals said she worked for a workers’ rights organisation. After the four-hour raid, the NIA team seized an Android phone, computer hard discs and some other documents. The woman later said that it was a false case.
In Panihati, NIA conducted a raid at the house of another woman. In Asansol, the team searched for the residence of a researcher who had been in contact with the two women.