A joint squad of security forces on Thursday nabbed four Maoists who were allegedly involved in the murder of a local journalist at Sukma in 2013.The insurgents were nabbed with explosives in their possession, police said.
While undertaking anti-Naxal exercise, a team comprising personnel of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), District Reserve Group (DRG) and District Force (DF) rounded up four suspects from forest falling under limits of Darba police station along with a bag, said Bastar Superintendent of Police (SP) R N Dash.
Those arrested were later identified as key members of Sautnar Janmilitia Commander Muka Kashyap and Sautnar Jantana Sarkar Aytu Mandavi while Ayta Mandavi and Huga Mandavi were working as Chetna Natya Manch-cultural wing of the banned organization, informed Dash.
From their possession, security personnel have recovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and an IED weighing around 10-15 kgs planted by them in the region, he said.
According to him, those arrested were involved in a series of incidents which took place in the region as well as Sukma district, which include murder of a local journalist Nemichand Jain in 2013, killing of 11 CRPF personnel in an ambush in Sukma in 2009, an ambush leaving 15 security personnel dead, including 11 CRPF and four of DF, and one civilian dead in Sukma in 2014, murder attempt, attack of security personnel engaged in
anti-Naxal exercises and
other incidents.