Bhubaneswar: Two dreaded Maoists were gunned down in an exchange of fire with security forces during an anti-Maoist operation on the border of Angul and Deogarh districts Sunday. An INSAS rifle, a carbine and large quantities of ammunition were seized from the duo, a married couple.
Police said Puttapaka Kumarswamy alias Veeranna, secretary of the Kalinga Nagar division of CPI(Maoist), and his wife, Sindri Lingo alias Sony, a member of the outfit’s divisional committee, were killed in the gun battle jointly carried by Special Investigation Wing (SIW), Special Operation Group (SOG) and Angul police.
While Veeranna, a resident of Narsimpet in Warangal district and a member of the State Committee of CPI(Maoist), carried a reward of Rs 20 lakh on his head, Sony, a resident of Visakhapatnam, carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh on her head, said police.
DGP KB Singh told journalists that Veranna was engaged in efforts to create a “Maoist corridor” through Keonjhar, Angul, Deogarh and Mayurbhanj districts. The DGP described the operation as a “spectacular achievement” of Odisha police.
Veeranna was involved in more than 30 murder cases in Keonjhar, Angul, Deogarh, Rayagada and Gajpati districts, said Singh. Veeranna had also allegedly blown up the Daitari police station with explosives and abducted ASI Umesh Marandi of the police station in July 2010. He had also blown up the Kaliahata police outpost in 2010, said police.
The loot of explosives from Chingudipal IMFA mines and IDC Tailangi mines in Jajpur district in 2008 and 2010 respectively is also being ascribed to Veerana. Sony is said to have been involved in all these cases by helping Veeranna.
Police said Veeranna was earlier the secretary of Bansadhara division of CPI (Maoist) and operated in Rayagada and Gajapati districts. He had allegedly formed the Kalinga division of the outfit in 2008 on the instructions from the outfit’s central committee.
When asked how only the two dreaded Maoists were killed in the operation while the others managed to flee, SIW chief Arun Kumar Sarangi said the security personnel did not know who and how many Maoists were killed in the exchange of fire in the jungle till they found the two bodies.
Sarangi said there were about 10 Maoists firing at the security forces and that all except the two killed managed to flee. PNN