‘Naxals running out of arms’

The Naxals’ military capabilities have of late been hit hard due to their fast depleting arsenal, a Maoist commander arrested recently in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Bastar region has disclosed. Eighteen-year-old Sahn Koram alias Nagesh, commander of Usri dalam operating in Kondagaon district of Bastar region, was arrested on December 2 in Usri jungle by a joint search party of district force (DF) and Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) personnel following a tip off. He was later produced before the local court which remanded him to judicial custody. During interrogation, Nagesh, who came in contact with senior Maoist leaders of Bastar during various operations by the ultras, has reportedly revealed the police that the Maoist leadership has been forced to review the guerrilla warfare tactic following shortage of arms and ammunitions with them. “The supply of arms and ammunitions from external sources has dried up in recent times.”

*** Maoist mediator son arrested, 2 pistols seized AKSHAYA KUMAR SAHOO Bhubaneswar, Dec. 5

The Orissa police on Wednesday arrested Sangram Mohanty, son of the Maoist mediator Dandapani Mohanty, on the charge of supplying arms and ammunition to the red rebels. According to police, Sangram along with friend Kailash was nabbed when he was going to Mohana area in Gajapati district to supply two pistols and over hundred rounds of bullets to the Maoist cadres operating in the area. Besides pistols, `16,000 was seized from them. Dandapani Mohanty, however, dismissed the police claim and said his son was kidnapped at gun-point by plain-clothing police when he was going to a garage to repair his bike. “The police has decided to eliminate my family. At around 10.30 am, when my son was going to a local garage police officials intercepted him and lifted him a Bolero vehicle.”