3 suspected associates of CPI-Maoist held in Kothagudem

Bhadrachalam (Kothagudem): The police apprehended three persons allegedly associated with outlawed CPI (Maoist) party and recovered 30 gelatin sticks and 12 detonators from their possession in Cherla mandal of Kothagudem district on Wednesday.

Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Bhadrachalam ASP Rajesh Chandra said that a team of police which was engaged in area domination exercise spotted three persons near Taliperu dam area in Cherla mandal.

The trio was taken into custody and interrogated during which they revealed their identity. The arrested were identified as Podium Idamaiah of Cherla and Vanjam Masa of Chinnakedipayi of Chhattisgarh and Maoist leader Achanna's courier Panda Krishna Murthy of Cherla.

The ASP revealed that Maoist top leaders Hari Bhushan, Damodar, Raji Reddy, Sodi Jogaiah and others have recently met in the forests of Puttapadu village on the borders of Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

The Maoist leaders deputed two militia members to handover the explosive material to the courier at Taliperu dam area. And they were spotted by the police when the militia member was handing over the material to the courier, the ASP said.

Of the three arrested persons, Idamaiah was facing as many as 12 cases of which three were murder cases and other blasting explosives and planting explosive material targeting police, political and civil targets, the ASP revealed.