Maoists posed as labourers in Raipur, sent intel to senior commanders in forests: Chhattisgarh SIA

RAIPUR: The State Investigation Agency (SIA) has filed a chargesheet against nine persons in a Chhattisgarh special court, alleging they were part of a covert Maoist urban support network that operated out of residential pockets in Raipur while passing sensitive information and logistics to cadres in the forests.The chargesheet was submitted before the special NIA court of principal district and sessions Judge Sirajuddin Qureshi in Bilaspur on Tuesday in connection with a case registered last year. The matter is scheduled to come up for hearing on March 20.According to the prosecution, the network worked by placing operatives in urban centres under the cover of daily-wage labour. Investigators say these operatives lived in rented accommodation in Raipur and other towns to avoid suspicion, while functioning as couriers, facilitators and urban links for the banned Maoist organisation.

At the centre of the case are Jaggu Kursam, also known as Ravi and Ramesh, said to be a divisional committee member of the Maoists, and his wife Kamla Kursam, an area committee member, who were arrested from Raipur in September 2025. The SIA said technical surveillance and call interception first pointed to their presence in the state capital and their contact with the Bastar belt. After the leads were developed, inputs were passed on and the couple was picked up from a house in the Changorabhatha area of Raipur.

During the search, investigators said they recovered a 10-tola gold biscuit, Rs 1.14 lakh in cash, two touchscreen mobile phones and other material from the couple. Their interrogation later led to the arrest of seven more accused from different parts of the state, including Korba, Bilaspur, Narayanpur and Bijapur.The other accused named in the chargesheet are Ram Incham, Pawan alias Akash alias Pushkar Maurya, Dhansingh Gavde, Sandev Podiyami, Girdhar Nag, Sukaru Ram and Shankar Korsa.The SIA has alleged that Akash alias Pawan, an active member of the organisation, lived in Raipur’s Changorabhatha area posing as a labourer in a rented house so that no one would suspect his role. Investigators claim he also arranged shelter there for Jaggu and Kamla Kursam, effectively turning the premises into a key urban base for the network.According to the chargesheet, the accused used pen drives, sealed letters and coded language to exchange information.

Meetings were allegedly held in Raipur, Simga, Navapara-Rajim and Bilaspur, where instructions were passed on and operational coordination was done. The agency claims that on the instructions of senior Maoist leaders, members of the network brought intelligence inputs and explosive-related material into urban centres and carried back supplies needed by cadres operating in the interior. The case was originally registered at DD Nagar police station in Raipur on September 23, 2025. Given the sensitivity of the matter, the probe was later handed over to the SIA by police headquarters.The accused were booked under multiple provisions of the BNS and stringent sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, including charges related to funding, support and participation in unlawful activities.