Following a deadly encounter between police and Maoists in the Odisha-Andhra border around a week ago, the Nilgiris district police have stepped up security at all the border check-posts, and have also put up signs, with images of wanted Maoists in all the major towns and settlements bordering Kerala and Karnataka.
District police officials, who requested anonymity, said that the number of armed gunmen at border checkposts had been doubled over the last four days.
Moreover, a list of 32 wanted Maoists, mostly from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, have been affixed in outlying towns in the Nilgiris, including Manjoor and Gudalur.
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Police confirmed that the measures were taken only over the last few days, but that they were unsure as to what the reasons were.
Speaking to The Hindu , District Superintendent of Police Murali Rambha confirmed that the police strength had been increased at checkposts, but stated that they were unconnected with any increased threat perception to the district. “Fixing of the flex boards inside the towns is because most of them have been damaged, and they were not being seen by the public. So we have fixed them in prominent places,” he said.
Sources confirmed that police strength had been doubled at the six border checkposts in Gudalur and Pandalur taluks, and also in other sub-divisions.
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