A 30-year-old Maoist from Chhattisgarh, who was allegedly involved in number of crimes, was arrested by the Chintoor police in the forest region of Lankapalli in Alluri Sithamara Raju (ASR) district on Saturday.
He was identified as Madakam Unga, alias Ungal, from Palodu village, Sukuma district, Chhattisgarh. Unga had worked as Deputy Commander of 8th platoon of the CPI(Maoist) and Platoon Party Committee member (PPCM).
Addressing a press conference, Superintendent of Police, ASR district, Tuhin Sinha, said Unga had joined the Maoist party in 2007. In 2017, he was made PPCM. He had stayed in the Chintoor sub-division in Andhra, Charla area in Telangana and in many parts of Chhattisgarh.
Unga was involved in 37 criminal cases in the three States, Mr. Sinha said. His crimes included a number of ambushes in Sukma district in which scores of police personnel were killed, he added.
In December 2014, he was involved in an ambush near Kasalpadu in Sukma district, in which 14 CRPF commandos were killed. In March 2017, he was involved in an ambush in Burkapal village in Sukuma in which 25 CRPF commandos were killed. In April 2017, he was involved in another ambush near Gorkha village in which 12 CRPF men were killed in Sukuma district, Mr. Sinha said.
In April 2021, Unga was involved in a surprise attack on the security forces at Ziraguda, in which 22 CRPF men were killed. He was also involved in the killing of two persons by branding them as police informers in November last year and in January this year in Chintoor, Mr. Sinha said.
He was also the main accused involved in the laying of a booby trap in August that was aimed at killing the police parties that were conducting combing operations near Mallampeta of Chintoor mandal.
Mr. Sinha said that the as part of prevention of Maoist activities, the Special Police Party and CRPF personnel were carrying out combing in the forest area of Lankapalli. Based on concrete information, Unga was arrested when he, along with a few other Maoists, was laying landmines in the forest area.
The police seized two detonators, two grenades, a Cordex wire, iron pieces and a cooker from him.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Operations), Rampachodavaram, K.V. Maheshwara Reddy, Commandant of CRPF 42nd Battalion Dharm Prakash, Inspector, Chintoor Circle, G. Appala Naidu, and others were present.
