Four hardcore Maoists involved in many offences, including killing of a Special Police Officer, were arrested and five explosives seized in Odisha's Malkangiri district, police said today.
During a joint combing operation by Special Operation Group (SOG), district voluntary force (DVF) and local police in Tumukimarka and Kurup forests under Kalimela area, three ultras were nabbed yesterday, Malkangiri district SP Akhileshwar Singh said.
On interrogation, the Maoists named another person who was associated with them and confessed that some tiffin bombs targetting security personnel had been planted in the area, he said, adding that their accomplice was nabbed today.
Based on the information, a forensic team of police had detected five live bombs buried beneath the ground in separate steel containers and bundles of wires for the purpose of triggering blasts.
Experts successfully defused the bombs and averted a major mishap in the area, the SP said, adding that the explosives weighed between five and eight kg each.
The four arrested Maoists were identified as Padia Padiami, Debendra Madkami and Pandra Sodi of Tumukimarka village and Rama Madhi of Patakunda village.
Padiami, Madkami and Sodi were nabbed yesterday, while Madhi was arrested today on the basis of the information provided by the trio.
The ultras had buried the explosives in the area as it was the main route used by security personnel during combing operation.
The arrested Maoists were allegedly involved, among other incidents, in the killing of Special Police Officer Kanhu Madhi of Patakunda village on May 25 and attack on a Panchayat member and robbing him.
Combing operation and patrolling by security forces in the entire area had been intensified and the ultras were being interrogated, Singh said.
