Bhadradri-Kothagudem district committee secretary of the CPI (ML-New Democracy) Rayala Group, Punem Lingaiah alias Linganna, 43, was arrested by the police on charges of extortion here, on Friday. A pistol, four rounds of ammunition, ₹25,200 cash and a bike were seized from his possession, police said.
Lingaiah, who had been extorting money from traders and contractors along with other members of his underground squad for the past few years, was apprehended by a police team based on a tip-off near Raghunadhapalem, early on Friday morning, Khammam Police Commissioner Tafseer Iqbal said.
Lingaiah, the squad commander, was allegedly involved in as many as 20 offences, including one murder case, reported under various police station limits in erstwhile undivided Khammam district, the Police Commissioner told reporters while producing Lingaiah before the media.
A native of Rollagadda village of Gundala mandal, Lingaiah joined the Madhu squad of New Democracy naxal group in 1997 and was actively associated with the “underground activities” of the group in Gundala, Yellandu, Tekulapalli, Kothagudem, Garla Bayyaram and other areas. He was made the district secretary of the outfit in 2013.
For the CPI (ML-New Democracy), which played a prominent role in spearheading the separate Telangana movement in erstwhile Khammam district, it was yet another blow. It was barely a week ago that the party’s Mahabubabad district secretary Sammaiah alias Gopi was arrested by the police on charges of extortion in Mahabubabad town.
The party had put up impressive performance in the previous local body elections winning more than 20 MPTCs, a few ZPTCs and a couple of sarpanch posts mainly in Yellandu constituency.
The spate of arrests is an attempt to suppress mass movements spearheaded by the ND, Gummadi Narsaiah, former MLA of the party, charged.
