Did Odisha Police Capture Two Notorious CPI (Maoist) Members in Malkangiri District?

Bhubaneswar, June 13 (NationPress) - On Friday, the Odisha Police successfully apprehended two notorious members of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist), each with a reward of Rs 3 lakh placed on their heads, according to an official report.

The arrests occurred in the Mathili region of Malkangiri district during the early hours of Friday.

The identified Maoist operatives are Kesa Kawasi from the Darba police limits in Bastar district and Sanu Kunjam alias Rakesh, an Area Committee Member (ACM) of the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) military platoon section-01, hailing from the Ganglur police jurisdiction in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.

Kesa serves as the ACM for the Kanger Ghati Area Committee in the Bastar region, while Rakesh operates within the AOB military platoon of the banned CPI (Maoist) group.

“Following credible intelligence about the movements of a faction of banned CPI (Maoist) members in the forest area near villages Sodiguda and Tentuliguda under Mathili Police Station, a specialized operation was initiated by the Malkangiri District Police in the early hours of June 12 and 13,” stated the police in a press note.

During the early hours, police personnel spotted a group of Maoists attempting to flee into the jungle.

The police pursued the fugitives, urging them to surrender.

In response, the Maoists fired at the police team in an attempt to escape into the jungle.

“In self-defense, the police team returned controlled fire. Following a thorough area search, the two identified Maoist operatives were captured after a struggle while trying to hide in nearby bushes, while others managed to flee,” read the police statement from Malkangiri.

Authorities have seized a pistol, six rounds of ammunition, ten electric detonators, ten Codex wires, gunpowder, a Motorola walkie-talkie, Maoist literature, and more.

During interrogation, the apprehended ultras admitted to their involvement in multiple incidents, including exchanges of fire and ambushes against security forces across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

Police are currently validating the information obtained during questioning. Notably, CPI (Maoist) cadre Rakesh was implicated in a deadly aerial ambush in February 2017, which resulted in the deaths of two security personnel.

He also acknowledged his participation in the 2018 Maoist assault at Boilathila, leading to the deaths of five security personnel. Both Rakesh and Kesa were involved in the January 16, 2024 attack on the Dharmavaram CRPF Camp, where over 400 armed Maoists participated.