NIA conducts raids at 12 places in West Bengal over Maoist links

The raids were conducted in Kolkata’s Netaji Nagar, North 24 Parganas district’s Panihati, Barrackpore, Sodepur, Asansol and several other locations. The NIA along with the West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) conducted the raids.

Two women, who worked with an NGO in the past, were quizzed in connection with the case by the NIA. Several documents were seized during the raids, people in the know said.The NIA conducted raids at Sipra Chakraborty’s house in Panihati in connection with Maoist funding links. Her house was searched and laptop and mobile phones were seized. Chakraborty, an elderly woman, reportedly worked with an NGO and lives in Panihati with her husband. She said, “My laptop and mobile phone have been seized. In 2022, one Prasanta Basu was arrested. During the investigation on Basu, NIA officials told me that they came across some names and I was one of them. They have informed me that they may need me in connection with the probe,” she said.

The raid lasted about five hours at Chakraborty’s residence.

The NIA also conducted raids in Asansol’s Dishergarh at Sudipta Paul’s residence which lasted more than three hours. Her android phone and hard disk from the computer was seized by the probe agency officials.