The Hindu : Front Page : Bid to plant mine under culvert detected

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Monday, Nov 26, 2007
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Bid to plant mine under culvert detected

Special Correspondent

Police suspect Maoist target to be Giddalur MLA Pagadala Ramaiah

ONGOLE: The police on Sunday evening detected some arrangements reportedly made by the CPI (Maoist) to plant a landmine under a culvert on the Thurimella-Akkapalli road in a bid to make an attempt on the life of Giddalur MLA Pagadala Ramaiah.

The Congress MLA normally uses the road to reach his native village of Chinaganapalle near Giddalur. He constructed a house in his native village and had made arrangements for the house warming ceremony on Sunday. As he was in the hit list of Maoists, he reached the village by some other route on Sunday morning as advised by the police.

MLA advised to return

He was to return to Giddalur by the Thurimella-Akkapalli road due to which a road opening party (ROP) was checking the road. While checking a culvert, the party found that some pipes were tampered with in such a way to so as to arrange landmine. The road opening party immediately alerted the higher-ups who advised the MLA to return to Giddalur by some other route.

On checking further, the police detected that the pipes lying under another culvert nearby were also tampered with. They suspect that the Maoists might have tampered with the pipes to arrange a landmine.

Security tightened

Security has been beefed up for the MLA and police shifted him to safety. The police is advising the MLAs to alter their routes and change their vehicles frequently to escape from any possible attack.

Maoists made a vain bid on the life of the Cumbum MLA, Udumula Venkata Reddy, last year. They blasted a landmine arranged near a dead curve on one of the routes he frequently visited. As the MLA changed the vehicle on the advice of the police, he escaped the attack.

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