RANCHI: In a significant move, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday conducted raids at five locations in Lohardaga, simultaneously, as part of its investigation into the petrol bomb attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office in Ranchi.
The searches, which began around 4 am, were conducted with assistance from the local police amid heightened security measures across the area.
Interestingly, the NIA sleuths had to use a crane provided by the electricity department to enter the house of the prime accused, Aman Ansari, who is currently in judicial custody.
Officials reportedly attempted to enter the house initially through the main entrance, but when the door was not opened from inside, the officers used the crane to reach the upper floor and gain entry before conducting a thorough search of the premises.
Last week, the agency conducted coordinated searches at 20 locations across multiple States as part of the same investigation, intensifying its crackdown on those allegedly involved in planning and executing the attack.
Notably, in an attempt to damage the RSS office in Ranchi, petrol bombs were hurled on its premises by two unidentified persons early on June 17.
According to police, two miscreants tried to throw petrol-filled sauce bottles into the RSS office premises. However, both bottles fell just before the premises, without causing any damage.
According to CCTV footage, two youngsters arrived near the RSS office in a car and parked the vehicle a short distance away. They walked up to the office premises. The first bottle was thrown at 12:38 am, followed by the second one about a minute later.
One bottle shattered upon hitting the roof, causing the petrol to spill and flames to erupt; however, the fire died out on its own as there were no flammable materials nearby.
The second bottle landed near the entrance but did not catch fire.
The NIA took over the investigation owing to a suspected terror angle and is probing the larger conspiracy, the network of accused persons and possible interstate links.
