Following the death of 13 Maoists, including a woman, in a fierce encounter that took place at the Silakuta forest of the Padia area in Malkangiri district on Saturday, a two-member team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached the district police headquarters at Malkangiri on Sunday to interrogate a Maoist nabbed by the joint forces of Special Operation Group (SOG) and District Voluntary Force (DVF) during combing operation in the forest on Saturday.
The NIA team, which is investigating the May 25 mayhem by Maoists on a convoy of Congress leaders at Darabha Ghati in Chhattisgarh, started quizzing the Maoist regarding his involvement in this ambush. They are expected to ask him about the involvement of other Red rebels in the ambush and other strategic information to know the chains of Maoists moving in both States.
Similarly, a team of the Chhattisgarh police reached the office of the Superintendent of Police of Malkangiri on Sunday to recognise the bodies of the Maoists killed on Saturday. They would also ask the nabbed Maoist whether the deceased were involved in the Chhattisgarh ambush.
After their successful operation, the joint forces have continued search operations in the Silakuta forest area to nab the Maoists who sustained severe injuries during the combing operation on Saturday night. “We are trying to track the movement of Kalimela Dalam leader Rakesh, who had escaped during the combing operation, within two or three days,” said Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Akhileswar Singh.
Meanwhile, DG of Police Prakash Mishra, ADG (Intelligence) Abhay, Director of Intelligence DS Kutte and IG operations Soumendra Priyadarshi returned to Bhubaneswar after visiting Malkangiri to take stock of the situation. Notably, Union Home Ministry is holding a meeting in New Delhi on September 25 to review the situations in the Maoist-affected States where the success story of the Odisha police in retaliating ultras may figure. DGP Mishra along with Chief Secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra will attend the meeting.