Bhubaneswar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will be taking George Munda, a key suspect in the recent theft of industrial explosives by Maoists from a stone quarry in Sundargarh district, on a six-day remand.
Considering the gravity of the offence, the NIA recently took over the investigation from K Balang police.
On June 15, Rourkela police had arrested 43-year-old Munda, a resident of Banko village in Sundargarh, on the allegation of being a Maoist informer. He had allegedly facilitated the loot of the truck, carrying 5,000kg of gelatin sticks, by providing detailed information about the stone quarry. He later joined the Maoists in robbing the stone-blasting materials on May 27, DIG (western range), Bijesh Kumar Rai had earlier told the media.
The armed Maoists had hijacked the truckload of explosives en route the quarry, adjoining the Saranda forests in Jharkhand. About 3,800kg of explosives were subsequently recovered.
Sources said that the NIA will interrogate Munda to uncover the broader network, establishing the ‘forward and backward’ linkages, related to the offence having multi-state ramification. Munda reportedly had several meetings with Maoist leader Anmol alias Lalchand Hembram, who is suspected to have pulled off the heist based on information provided by him.
Given the Centre’s goal to eliminate Maoist activities by March 2026, the NIA’s role here is crucial in exposing a potentially larger anti-national plot by the Maoists, the sources added.