Visakhapatnam: Four suspected Maoist sympathisers, including two women were Sunday arrested in the district in connection with the killing of two TDP leaders, including an MLA last month, police said.
This comes after a woman Maoist, an accused in the shooting incident, was gunned down by security forces in an alleged encounter near Andrapali forest Friday during intense combing operations. The arrested were identified as Yedala Subba Rao (45), Gemmeli Sobhan (32), Yedela Eswari (34) and Korra Kamala (35), all native of Dumbriguda Mandal.
Police claimed that all the accused had worked for the Organisation for the Protection of Girijan Rights (OPGR) in the past and have been providing support to the Maoists. Investigation revealed that the four arrested people have shared key information with the Maoists about the movements of the TDP leaders, on 21 September.
A day before the attack, Maoists from Nandapur and Narayanapatna area committees led by Venkata Ravi Chaitanya alias Aruna of Nandapur Dalam came to Livitiput area and took shelter in the houses of those arrested, Superintendent of Police (Visakha Rural) Rahul Dev Sharma said.
Based on the information from the four, the Maoists blocked the cars of the TDP leaders at Livitiput, while they were on the way to a meeting, and shot them dead, they added.
In its major strike after a long gap, outlawed CPI (Maoists) on 23 September shot dead Araku MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao his predecessor Siveri Soma, both Scheduled Tribes, in Lippitiputta village in Visakhapatnam district.