Sambalur police on Saturday arrested a hardcore senior woman Maoist cadre from the Badabahal area. Identified as Sumitra Kuanr, alias Sebati, alias Sukanti, she is the assistant commander of the Sambalpur-Deogarh-Sundargarh Zone of the outlawed CPI-Maoist and there are five cases pending against her at different police stations in the district, police said.
According to sources, Sumitra joined the outlawed CPI-Maoist in 2007 and was involved in the murder of police officer Narasingha Mahakud in 2009, firing on police personnel at Khalasuni, Badarama Kepetgami and Hatabiri. She married her associate Ranbir in 2011.Acting on a tipoff that Sumitra was in Badabhal, the security forces led by Sambalpur SP Pratik Mohanty had detained her near Badabahal on July 16 while she was returning from a relative’s house after giving her children to them for care. The police identified her as the wanted cadre Maoist on July 17.
“She was carrying a reward of `4 lakh on her head. She was trained in the Saranda jungle. She admitted her involvement in the sensational murder of police SI Narsingha Mahakud besides in many other cases,” said Sambalpur SP Pratik Mohanty.