New Delhi, Mar 21: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an absconding close associate and distant relative of Naxal's North Region Bureau Chief and Politburo member in the conspiracy to revive and strengthen the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation in Bihar's Magadh Zone, the agency said on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Vinod Mishra alias Binod Mishra, was arrested from Dhanbad district in Jharkhand by a NIA team which was trailing him for several days after receiving inputs about his hideouts in Jharkhand.

Mishra is named in the First Information Report (FIR) related to the case and had been on the run for the past eight months. As per the NIA, Mishra had provided shelter and logistics to senior Naxal leaders in his house.

NIA has been investigating the case since August 31, 2023 and has so far chargesheeted Pramod Mishra alias Sohan Da alias Banwari Ji alias BB Ji alias Baba, a Politburo Member, along with Anil Yadav alias Ankush alias Lavkush, a Sub-Zonal Committee Member of CPI (Maoist), who were arrested earlier in the case.

The state police had registered a case initially, on August 10, 2023, following their arrest from the house of Vinod Mishra, from where they were conspiring to reactivate and strengthen the proscribed terror outfit in Magadh Zone (Gaya and Aurangabad areas). All three were named in the FIR registered at Tekari police station in Bihar.

(ANI)