Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 7 (BPNS)
Kerala Police on Sunday morning arrested a Maoist leader at Valapattanam in Kannur district while he was traveling in a jeep along with two others. The Maoist who is known by the names Ragavendra, Goutham, and Murukesan was wanted in a case related to the Maoist conducting arms training in the forests of Nilambur in Malappuram district in 2016. The Police had also charged the Maoists for having celebrated Maoist day in Nilambur forests.
Police said that they had intercepted the vehicle as part of the routine inspection and as soon as the police check commenced, the Maoist leader started shouting slogans.
Kannur city police commissioner, R. Elango while speaking to media persons said, “Police got a tip-off and we took into custody a person who is wanted in an earlier case and he started shouting Maoist slogans when we apprehended him. We took him into custody and has found him to be Ragavendra from Tamil Nadu and he had two Aadhar cards and on interrogation found him to be a wanted person by the NIA. We informed the NIA immediately and a team from the national agency took him under their custody.”
Kannur police commissioner also said that the Maoist was not willing to reveal many details on why he was in Kannur as also his past activities.
NIA sleuths said that he was one among the 19 Maoist activists charged by the agency in the case related to the hoisting of Maoist flag in the forest as also conducting arms training. He was also part of the team that entered into a gun battle with the elite Thunderbolt team of the Kerala police in which Maoist leaders like Kuppu Devaraj, Ajitha, and Velmurugan.
