Karnataka   

Anti-Naxal Squad makes breakthrough in Malnad

unearthed: The arms and ammunition recovered by the Anti-Naxal Squad from the forest near Tirthahalli in Shimoga district displayed at the press conference on Wednesday.

TIRTHAHALLI (SHIMOGA DISTRICT): With the arrest of a suspected naxalite by the Anti-Naxal Squad (ANS) on Tuesday, the police claim to have achieved a major breakthrough in curbing naxal activities in the Malnad region.

Krishna alias Krishna (28) of Koranakote in Hosnagar, was arrested by the ANS near Durvaspur at Aagumbe in Tirthahalli in Shimoga district.

From information provided by him, a huge haul of weapons, ammunition and other incriminating material were recovered from the two places — Potluru near Belthangadi and Tingalamakki near Karkala — both situated deep in the forest.

The recovered materials include 2,076 rounds of different types of weapons, one .303 rifle, one grenade, 80 detonators, 26 non-electrical detonators, five explosives, four 65 mm used cartridges, one walkie-talkie, one camera flash, one computer printer and some incriminating material on Maoist and Naxal literature.

Krishna, who was produced before the Magistrate in Tirthahalli on Wednesday, was remanded to police custody. Krishna went missing five years ago and it was reported that he had joined the naxals. However, it was stated that he was not associated with the naxal movement for the last two months, and it was not known why he had severed links with the naxals.

Acting on the information given by him, the ANS searched the forests coming under the jurisdiction of Udipi and Dakshina Kannada districts and recovered the huge stock of arms. .

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday at Tirthahalli, the Inspector-General of Police (Eastern Range) H.N. Satyanarayana Rao said that Krishna, along with a naxal group, was involved in the burning down of a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus at Tallurangadi near Agumbe in Tirthahalli taluk on July 1 last year.

He said that according to Krishna, there were nearly 30 suspected naxalites, including women, belonging to four groups — Tunga, Bhadra, Netra and Varahi — operating in the Malnad region.

He described the arrest of the suspected naxalite and the recovery of the arms as the most significant development in anti-naxal activities carried out in the Malnad region in the last six years. He said that it would lead to the tracking down of the suspected naxalite groups in the region.

He congratulated the Superintendent of Police S. Murugan for having led the Anti-Naxal Squad against the naxal activities and having achieved the breakthrough.

He announced a cash award of Rs. 10,000 from his range to the Anti-Naxal Squad for their good work. He said that he would recommend a higher reward for the Anti-Naxal Squad to the Director-General of Police.

The Inspector-General of Police (Western Range) A.M. Prasad who was present, announced the cash award.

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