Two hard-core Naxals involved in the May 25, 2013 Jeeram Ghati carnage in which about 30 people, including Congress heavyweights like VC Shukla and Nand Kumar Patel, were killed had been arrested, Jagdalpur Superintendent of Police Ajay Yadav disclosed on Thursday. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had earlier released the names of the two wanted, the SP said.
The arrested Naxals have been identified as Kawasi Kosa and Deva Madkami, residents of Chandvameta area of the violence-hit Bastar district. They were arrested during a search operation in the forested patch of the area by a joint force of the special task force (STF) and the district police, the SP told The Pioneer over phone.
According to the SP, security forces were sent to Chandvameta upon receiving an intelligence input that some Maoists were hiding there and the area was cordoned off. The Naxals suspecting police movement tried to escape, but they were caught in a combing operation. Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and country-made pistols along with live bullets were also recovered from their possession.
The SP also informed that the NIA which is probing the Jeeram Ghati massacre had also provided the names of these Naxals to the police among the list of wanted persons. "We are now informing the NIA about the arrest," he said. In last Tuesday's attack, 16 people - 15 security men and a civilian - were killed in a Maoist ambush close to Jeeram Ghati. A 44-member contingent of the CRPF and the district police was on a search operation when they were ambushed.