The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Maoists, pseudo-naxals keep police busy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 06, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Maoists, pseudo-naxals keep police busy

By Our Staff Reporter

NALGONDA, APRIL 5. The Nalgonda police are stressed out due to the series of offences being committed by Maoists in the interior areas on one hand and the looting sprees of pseudo naxalites on the national highway on the other.

The Maoists, who had gone in for a massive recruitment drive during the peace talks, gunned down 12 persons, including three unarmed policemen, and burnt down seven RTC buses in the last one-and-half months. The Sagar Area Committee and Krishnapatti dalam, which holds sway in the interior parts of Devarakonda sub-division, killed eight persons in the area calling them informers.

Jyothakka's case

The naxals mainly targeted those who took money from Jyothakka after the Pavuralagutta encounter in April 1994 and those who allegedly tried to poison their top brass. It may be recalled that one Somla Naik, the deputy commander of the Krishnapatti dalam, killed important leaders in an alleged covert operation. The lone survivor of the firing, Jyothakka, was said to have approached a group of persons with currency bundles requesting them to provide her with medical treatment. However, they reportedly left her in the lurch after accepting the money. The Krishnapatti dalam took the issue seriously and announced the names of those who cheated their injured comrade. At least three persons allegedly involved in the episode were killed by an action team.

Tip-offs essential

Meanwhile, the police top brass has been burning the midnight oil to chalk out a strategy to put a stop to the murders. "They (naxals) are clad in lungis giving no scope for suspicion to locals and open fire at their targets with short weapons. Unless and until, we get a specific tip-off, it is difficult to nab them," an officer said.

Complicating matters for the police, a gang of pseudo naxalites are looting the petrol bunks on the national highway. Starting from March 13, a gang looted three bunks at Choutuppal, Nakrekal and Kodad. The Rachakonda dalam killed three policemen of a patrol party at Choutuppal when it reached the looted petrol bunk to make enquiries into the case. It led the police to suspect that Maoists were looting bunks to trap the police. However, the CPI (Maoist) district secretary, Diwakar, told presspersons that naxalites had nothing to do with the petrol bunk burglaries, much to the relief of the police.

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