Top Maoist leader held, 60 militia members surrender in AP

Paderu: Andhra Pradesh police arrested CPI (Maoist) Pedabayulu-Korukonda Area Committee secretary Vanthala Ramakrishna on Tuesday. One of the prime accused in the September 2018 killing of two political leaders including the then sitting Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao, and former MLA Siveri Soma in Dumbriguda Mandal of Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam district, Ramakrishna […]

Paderu: Andhra Pradesh police arrested CPI (Maoist) Pedabayulu-Korukonda Area Committee secretary Vanthala Ramakrishna on Tuesday.

One of the prime accused in the September 2018 killing of two political leaders including the then sitting Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao, and former MLA Siveri Soma in Dumbriguda Mandal of Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam district, Ramakrishna was nabbed by the Pedabayalu police while moving from Kondrum village to Injari village in Pedabayalu mandal. He is also known by other names such as Prabhakar, Ashok and Goddali Rayudu.

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Deputy Inspector General of Visakhapatnam Range, S. Harikrishna, and Superintendent of Police of Alluri Seetharama Raju district S. Sathish Kumar said Ramakrishna is a resident of Kondrum village and joined the outfit as a Dalam member, and party member and went on to become the area committee member, and area committee secretary. A leader of the Maoist cadres in Malkangiri and Koraput districts of Odisha, East Godavari, and Alluri Sitarama Raju districts which lie in the Andhra Odisha Special Zonal Committee area (AOBSZC), he was involved in 124 cases and carried a reward of Rs. 5 lakhs on his head. He was also involved in killing innocent tribal people branding them as police informers, they said.

60 militia members surrender

The police seized Rs. 39 lakh cash, a landmine, five detonators from Ramakrishna. Also, as many as 60 militia members, including eight women, belonging to the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) Maoist organization surrendered before the police on the day. Those who surrendered belonged to the Maoist-affected tribal villages of Kondrum, Thagupadu, Jumadam, Nanubari, and Jadiguda.