Kochi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed chargesheets against three Maoist cadres in connection with a 2023 armed attack on the Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) office in Wayanad.

The chargesheet was filed against C P Moideen, Manoj P M, and P K Soman before the NIA court in Ernakulam on Friday.

The NIA said in a statement that they have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, the Kerala Forest Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

According to the agency, five Maoist cadres, armed with deadly weapons, trespassed into the office on September 28, 2023. They allegedly restrained the manager, damaged public property and equipment, raised pro-Maoist slogans, and pasted posters inside the office.

Law enforcement agencies later arrested four of the five accused, while one surrendered.

The NIA took over the case shortly after the incident. Its investigation revealed that Moideen, Manoj, and Soman—along with H S Ravindra and Santhosh Kumar A—were members of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the armed wing of the banned CPI (Maoist).

The accused had formed a local guerrilla squad named Kabani Dalam in the forests of Wayanad and were actively involved in terrorist activities aimed at spreading fear and destabilising the government, the NIA said.

The attack on the KFDC office was part of their “violent anti-national agenda,” the agency added, noting that further investigation is underway.