Mulugu: Militia member held

Mulugu: The Mulugu police on Monday arrested a CPI-Maoist militia member and seized explosives from him.

Superintendent of Police Sangram Singh G Paril said that acting on a tip-off, Venkatapuram Inspector along with others conducted a combing operation in the Pamunuru forest area where the banned outfit leaders Yapa Narayana alias Haribhushan, Bade Chokka Rao alias Damodar and others were supposed to assemble. The Maoists were planning to plant landmines in Pamunuru forest area targeting the police parties, the SP said.

Seeing the police, the ultras who were planting the explosives fled from the scene. However, the police were able to catch a militia member along with IEDs and explosive material. The militia member was identified as Madavi Boodu of Jella village under Venkatapuram mandal.

He has been working with the Maoists in the neighbouring villages of Chhattisgarh. He was trained on handling and planting landmines and spikes. Madavi Boodu was involved in planting landmines at several places, the police said.

One of the IEDs planted by him near Palem Vagu project exploded recently due to heavy rainfall and thunder. In all, Boodu was involved in 28 extremism related cases in Venkatapuram, Cherla and Wazedu police stations.

He was also involved in the murder of Maduri Bheemeshwara Rao in Alubaka in October 2020. The police seized 40 meters of cordex wire, four detonators, one Walky-Talky (Manpack), two pressure cooker bombs, two tiffin box bombs, two electric wire bundles and batteries from him.