Two Maoists arrested in Nabarangpur

Nabarangpur: Two Maoists, including a hard-core woman cadre, were arrested during a combing operation by the security forces in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district today.

The arrested Maoists have been identified as Poje Mandavi alias Anita (25) of Motodi village in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh and Samudra Bagh (32) of Nangalbod in Sinapali block of Nuapada district of Odisha. Both of them were active members of the Mainpur Nuapada division of the Maoist group.

According to DIG, Southwestern Range, Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao, the red rebels were picked up by the Special Operation Group (SOG), the District Voluntary Force (DVF), and the CRPF personnel during a combing operation in Hatigaon reserve forest area under Raighar police limits of the district.

The DIG said that the duo was found to have been involved in many cases of violence in Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, and neighbouring Chhattisgarh.

The police said that Anita had joined the Maoist group in 2010 and was working as a party member of Bodchatia local organisation squad (LOS) prior to her joining Mainpur-Nuapada Division. She was influenced by Bal Sanghatan under Ungi. She was promoted as area committee member (ACM) in 2020 and has been active since 2013.

Similarly, Bagh had joined the Maoists in 2017 and has been active ever since as a militia member of the Mainpur-Nuapada Division. He reportedly provided information and other inputs to the extremists. Bagh was also providing medicines and other essential articles to the rebels, the police said.