Officials of National Investigation Agency (NIA), who are probing arms smuggling in north-eastern states, have come across evidence that suggests Maoists operating in Jharkhand have been supplied with sophisticated M-16 rifles. dna has learnt that officials of anti-terrorism squads (ATS) and special task forces (STF) from almost half-a-dozen states have been called for a meeting with NIA's top brass which is to be held in the first week of July.
The agenda of the meeting is to discuss the latest development and possibility of a joint force comprising NIA sleuths and officers of the state police with an expertise to counter multi-state arms smuggling.
Official sources said that the sophisticated weapons are sourced from Nagaland and get transported to the armed CPI (Maoist) in Jharkhand by arm syndicates which are operational in multiple states. The agency, according to sources, is now in talks with ATS and STF of Nagaland, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand to chalk out a strategy from stopping the highly-sophisticated weaponry from reaching cadres of CPI (Maoist) operating in Jharkhand.
The development has raised concerns within state and central intelligence agencies officials as the American-made sophisticated weapon can seriously effect operations of the security forces posted in Jharkhand where they are fighting an ultra-left armed movement.
According to official sources, NIA sleuths have managed to identified individuals allegedly involved in the smuggling of M-16's. The individuals, who are likely part of a single syndicate, belong to Punjab, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Nagaland. The agency is likely to share the information on these individuals with the state police in the coming week. Sources further said that investigators have come across transactions of 30-40 lakh rupees made into accounts of certain individuals who were already in radar for their alleged illegal activities.
Official sources also said that Munger in Bihar, is somewhat becoming an important transit point owing to its existing illegal arms markets. Munger is also home to several freelancers known for servicing and repair of sophisticated weapons such as M-16's. Agency is also looking at the possibility of the M-16's in non-working condition being sent to Munger for servicing followed by its distribution in pockets where Maoists continue to operate.
The CPI(Maoists) had quite a presence in remote regions of Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, as well as in Bihar and areas in the borderlands of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Odisha, but owing to anti-left operations of the security forces, their cadre strength has seen a steep decline. The armed group, formed in 2004 and headed by General Secretary Muppala Lakshmana Rao, aims to overthrow the Indian state and has claimed that it is waging a 'people's war'. Among the latest attacks of the armed group was the 2013 ambush of a convoy of Indian National Congress in Bastar which resulted in deaths of Mahendra Karma, the founder of a private militia Salva Judum.
Karma's group, which was backed by Chhattisgarh government in July 2011, was declared to be illegal and unconstitutional, by Supreme Court of India and ordered to be disbanded. CPI(Maoists) were also responsible two major ambushes on security forces in 2010. The same year in February women cadres of CPI (Maoist) killed 24 personnel of the Eastern Frontier Rifles at Silda in West Bengal and two months ambushed and killed 75 paramilitary personnel.
In August 2014, the Ministry of Home Affairs has stated it might depute 2,000 personnel from the Naga Battalions of the Nagaland's Indian Reserve Battalions (IRB) to counter Maoists in Bastar.
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