Kothagudem: Cherla police arrested two Maoist militia members in Kurnapalli forest area in Cherla mandal in the district and seized explosive material from them. Speaking to press persons at Cherla on Monday, Inspector of Police (CI) B Ashok informed that a search team comprising Cherla police, Special Party personnel and CRPF 141 Bn ‘A’ coy personnel spotted three persons moving suspiciously in the forests on Sunday.
The police chased them and took two persons into custody while the third one ran away. The arrested persons were identified as Kovasi Bhimaiah of Dokupadu in Chhattisgarh and Sodi Deepak of Burugupadu, in Charla mandal. Both were serving as couriers for CPI (Maoist) party for the past three years besides being the militia members of the party’s Cherla Area Committee. They were accused of planting a landmine at Kaliveru Junction in Charla mandal four months ago.
At a meeting at Puttapadu in Chhattisgarh in last December, Maoist leaders Haribhushan, Damodar, Sharada, Azad and others have given orders to kill policemen in retaliation to the encounters that took place in the recent past in Cherla area, the CI Ashok said. The arrested with the help of Kurnapalli MPTC Irpa Rama Rao and the villagers engaged in planting the landmines. 10 gelatin sticks, two detonators and cordex wire seized from them.
A case was registered under sections of the Explosives Act against the arrested and they were before Khammam Court for judicial custody. CRPF Assistant commandant Subhir Mandal and others were present.