The National Investigation Agency has arrested three people in connection with the killing of Chhattisgarh Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Bhima Mandavi in April last year, PTI reported on Wednesday. The legislator was killed along with four security personnel in Dantewada district in a suspected Maoist attack.
Laxman Jaiswal, Ramesh Kumar Kashyap and Kumari Linge Tati, all residents of Dantewada, were arrested by the investigative agency on Tuesday. They have been accused of providing logistical support to the attackers. Two other accused – Bhima Tati and Madka Ram Tati – were arrested in April this year.
NIA spokesperson Sonia Narang said that the arms and ammunition of the deceased police personnel were also looted by Communist Party of India (Maoist) cadres.
“Investigation has revealed that the arrested accused Laxman Jaiswal...who runs a grocery shop in Nakulnar, provided electric wires, explosive substances and other items for the IED blast carried out by CPI (Maoist) cadres,” a statement said. “Accused Ramesh Kumar Kashyap alias Ramesh Hemla (ex-sarpanch of Kakadi village) and Kumari Linge Tati were instrumental in providing logistic support to the Naxalites and were part of the conspiracy which led to the killing of Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel.”
An NIA special court in Jagdalpur city sent the accused to seven-day custody of the agency on Wednesday. The attack was earlier investigated by the Chhattisgarh Police.
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