Maoists on prowl in erstwhile Warangal, Khammam districts

Warangal: The reported movement of the outlawed CPI Maoists is keeping the police officials of erstwhile Warangal district, mainly Bhupalpally, Mulugu and Mahabubabad districts, tenterhooks of late. The Maoists have reportedly intruded into the Telangana State from the neighbouring Chhattisgarh and were trying to make their presence felt by conducting some meetings or killing ‘police […]

Warangal: The reported movement of the outlawed CPI Maoists is keeping the police officials of erstwhile Warangal district, mainly Bhupalpally, Mulugu and Mahabubabad districts, tenterhooks of late. The Maoists have reportedly intruded into the Telangana State from the neighbouring Chhattisgarh and were trying to make their presence felt by conducting some meetings or killing ‘police informers’.

Bhupalpally Superintendent of Police (SP) J Surender Reddy has released posters on the important leaders of the outlawed CPI Maoists with the cash prize details on their heads. He alleged that the Maoists were trying to kill innocent people, branding them as police informers.

Reddy said that the Maoists were obstructing the development activities in the remote parts of the district, and added that the people who provide information on the movement of the Maoists would be rewarded by Rs 5 lakhs to Rs 20 lakhs. He said that they had intelligence inputs that 10 Maoists were moving in the Jayashankar Bhupalpally district and other parts of the Agency areas. The posters released by the police contain the photos of 15 Maoist leaders including Bade Chokka Rao alias Damodar, Kankanala Raji Reddy alias Venkatesh, Podium Somi alias Reena alias Sabitha, Kursum Mangu alias Bhadru, Kunja Veeraiah alias Lachhanna, Kovasi Ganga alias Mahesh, Madakam Sannal alias Manguthu, Kovasi Ramu, Gajarla Ravi alias Ganesh, Matcha Sammaih alias Somaiah , Anne Santosh alias Sagar, Nallamati Ashok alias Vijender, Siripally Sudhakar alias Murali, Chennuri Harish alias Jhonson, and Gaje Raju alias Ravi.

Sources said that Maoist party State secretary Kankanala Raji Reddy has been on the job of strengthening the party’s cadres by visiting the Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalpally and Mahabubabad districts. It may be added here that the police in joint operation by the Mulugu and Kothagudem districts had found some items including essential commodities and tents in the forest area in both the districts on August 20 which were suspected to have been left behind by the ultras. The Intelligence Department has reportedly warned the police officials of the erstwhile Warangal and Khammam districts to step up the combing operations and other ways to locate the Maoists.

The sources said that the Maoists had crossed Godavari River in the last month between Venkatapuram of Mulugu district and Cherla of Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts and entered Bhupalpally and Mulugu districts from Chhattisgarh state.