Kanker, Sep 8 A special court in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district has convicted five Maoists, including senior leaders Prabhakar Rao and his wife Raje Kange, in connection with a 2015 Naxal attack on a police team, and handed them jail terms ranging from seven to five years each, police said on Tuesday.
Rao and his wife Kange once carried rewards of Rs 25 lakh and Rs 8 lakh, respectively, on their heads and their conviction, along with three others, comes more than five months after Chhattisgarh was declared free of armed Naxals.
The Special Judge (NIA Act/Scheduled Offences) pronounced the verdict on Monday, convicting the five accused in the case involving an attack on police personnel and attempt to kill them during the assault in the Bhaisgaon-Nagarmari hill area of Kanker district, part of the Bastar region, which was once the hotbed of Maoist activities.
Those convicted were senior Maoist leaders Rao, his wife Kange, along with cadres Shyamnath Usendi, Chinturam Tamrakar and Ramesh Kumar Kumeti. Rao and his wife were sentenced to seven years each in jail, while the other three Naxals were handed imprisonment of five years each, police said.
Police said electronic and digital evidence played a significant role in the investigation and subsequent trial of the case and to secure conviction.
The acceptance of electronic evidence by the court reflected the use of modern technology and scientific investigation methods by Kanker police, officials said.
The ruling comes days after a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court at Jagdalpur found all 10 accused guilty in the Jhiram Valley Maoist attack of 2013, which claimed 29 lives, including those of senior Congress figures.
According to police, Rao carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh and had served as a Special Zonal Committee Member (SZCM), Regional Committee Member (RCM), and in-charge of the North Sub-Zonal Bureau and MaPOS team of the banned CPI (Maoist).
Kange, who carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh, was a Divisional Committee Member (DVCM) and in-charge of the Raoghat Area Committee, police said.
The couple had been associated with the proscribed Maoist organisation for around four decades. A total of 64 cases were registered against Rao and 36 against Kange at different police stations in connection with offences, including murder, robbery and kidnapping, they said.
They were allegedly involved in several serious incidents, including the killing of police personnel and confidential informants, besides killings carried out after Maoist 'Jan Adalats', police added.
The Kanker ambush case dates back to September 7, 2015, when a 49-member police team led by then-Sub-Inspector Mohan Nishad of the Korar police station was conducting an anti-Maoist search operation in the Bhaisgaon-Nagarmari hill area.
According to the prosecution, CPI (Maoist) cadres, including Rao, Kange and several other armed Maoists in uniform, opened fire on the police team with the intention of killing personnel and snatching their weapons.
The police personnel returned fire in self-defence, following which the Maoists fled from the spot, police said.
No casualty was reported in the exchange of fire.
An FIR was registered at the Korar police station on September 7, 2015, under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Arms Act against Rao, Kange and other Maoist cadres.
During the investigation, police arrested Rao and Kange along with three others who were accused of providing them support and shelter.
A chargesheet was filed on June 20, 2025, against the five accused under provisions of the IPC, Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The special court took cognisance of the case and framed charges on July 18, 2025, following which the trial commenced on August 22, 2025. The court reserved its judgment on August 29, 2026, and pronounced the verdict on September 7.
Police said electronic and digital evidence played a significant role in the investigation and prosecution of the case.
Electronic documents and digital evidence recovered from the two Maoist leaders were extracted and preserved through prescribed procedures with technical assistance from the Cyber Cell at the Police Headquarters.
The evidence was subsequently presented before the court and admitted during the trial, police said.
Investigative proceedings and other crucial records were also preserved electronically as e-evidence in accordance with provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
The investigation was carried out by Deputy Superintendent of Police Girijashankar Sao under the guidance and supervision of senior police officers, including then-Kanker Range DIG Amit Tukaram Kamble and Kanker Superintendent of Police Nikhil Rakhecha, police said.
