A Maoist cadre of the rank of Area Committee Member (ACM) active in neighbouring Chhattisgarh’s Konta area was arrested by the Dummugudem police near Maraigudem village in the border mandal on Tuesday morning.
The police identified the arrested Maoist as Madakam Rama alias Ramla of Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district.
He is also the in-charge of the outlawed organisation’s supply team of south Bastar division, police said.
He was arrested by a joint team of the police and the CRPF men during a vehicle checking operation on the outskirts of Maraigudem while moving in a suspicious manner on a motorcycle at around 8 am on Tuesday.
A bag containing explosive substances, a bundle of wire and a battery, besides a motorcycle, a mobile phone and ₹47,610 in cash were seized from his possession, police added.
According to the police, he arrived from Chhattisgarh to “plant” a landmine along the Maraigudem-Kothapalli Road with an intention to “kill” police personnel as per the “directions” of Maoist 4th and 8th platoon in-charge Muchaki Yerra.
The arrested Maoist was involved in as many as 13 cases of Maoist violence including several incidents of exchange of fire (EoF) with police in Chhattisgarh in the past few years.
He is also wanted in a case of burning of a vehicle engaged in bridge construction work by the Maoist rebels at a border village under Dummugudem police station limits in Telangana in February this year.
Meanwhile, two members of the banned CPI (Maoist), both girls aged 18 years, surrendered before Superintendent of Police Sunil Dutt and the officials of the CRPF 141 Battalion at the SP’s office in Kothagudem on Tuesday.
Police said one of them is a member of the outlawed outfit’s Charla Local Guerrilla Squad (LGS) and another is a member of Manuguru Local Organising Squad (LOS) of Bhadradri Kothagudem district.
Addressing a press conference, the SP alleged that both the minor tribal girls were forced by Maoist leaders to participate in the Tekulagudem EoF on April 3 in 2021 and in the Pesalpadu EoF on December 27, 2021.
He further alleged that both were forcefully recruited by the Maoists when they were of 14 years age.
“Maoist party leaders have recruited many such minor tribal children when they are at a tender age and in no position to evaluate what is good for them,” he said, charging the Maoist leaders with violating the rights of tribals and children to further their ideology.
