Kalimela: In a bid to make their presence felt, Maoists stormed into Kurub village of Badigeta panchayat under Kalimela police limits in Malkangiri district and ransacked a house Friday.
The Reds vandalised a youth camp house and destroyed some gadgets belonging to the village’s youths that was kept inside the house. They then, tied the limbs of a woman and a man and beat them up cruelly throughout the night before fleeing in the morning. The victims are Jaga Madi and Sukri Sodi.
Fearing for their lives the people remained indoors throughout the night. The village wore a deserted look as the locals did not even dare to come out after sunrise. Meanwhile, no police team reached the village for an inquiry.
After lying low for some months, the Reds have once again started challenging the police in the district. The incident comes at a time when 12 Maoists were arrested a couple of days back.
Preliminary investigation revealed that residents of Kurub village had stopped supporting the Reds and had joined the mainstream a couple of days back. Giving a blow to the Maoists, the villagers had earlier surrendered before former Malkangiri SP and expressed their wish to live a normal life.
A year back, the district police with the help of Kalimela police had organised an awareness camp in the village. Inspiring the residents to stop supporting the Maoists, the police department had donated a TV, DTH dish, music player, football, volleyball and cricket items to youths of the village.
The villagers had built a youth camp house where they stored all the instruments and was using them. They also stopped supporting the Maoists. This had not gone well with the Maoists who showed their true nature, sources said.
The Maoists threatened the locals to refrain from contacting the police and awareness camps. They warned them against informing the police of the incident. PNN
