3 Naxals arrested in Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh

Dantewada, April 20

Three Naxals were arrested in Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh, police said on Saturday.

The lower-rung cadres were apprehended on Friday from the forest of Dumampara-Tumakpal villages under Katekalyan police station limits when a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and district force was out on a search operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava said.

Those arrested were identified as Mangal Kunjam alias Shailesh (23), Budhram Madkami (25) and Waman Mandavi (33), all active as janmilitia members in Katekalyan area, he said.

Six electronic detonators, five gelatin rods, a bundle of electric wires and other Naxal-related material were recovered from them, he added.

They were mainly tasked with arranging meetings of villagers for Naxals, putting up Maoist posters and banners, he said.

“Investigation is under way to ascertain whether they were part of the Maoist squad that killed a BJP MLA and four security personnel on April 9 in Kuwakonda area of the district,” he said.

A large number of janmilitia members from Katekalyan and Malangir area committees of Maoists were involved in that attack, he said. PTI