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The Hindu
The Hindu
National
The Hindu Bureau

NIA arrests Maoist RK’s wife Sirisha, another man in Chhattisgarh encounter case

Sleuths of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Kandula Sirisha alias Padmakka, wife of the late CPI-Maoist Central Committee Member (CCM) Akkiraju Haragopal alias RK, and Duddu Prabhakar alias Ajay alias DP, in connection with the Tiriya encounter in Chhattisgarh in 2019 (also called as RK Diary case), in which six Maoists and a civilian were killed.

Sirisha and Prabhakar were arrested from Prakasam and NTR districts respectively in Andhra Pradesh by NIA teams on Friday. NIA has so far arrested six persons in the case. Sirisha, a member of the frontal outfit, was previously active as armed cadre (Tech. incharge) of the CPI (Maoist) party, the NIA officials said in a release on Saturday.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Special Task Force (SPF) participated in the Tiriya encounter in July 2019, under Nagarnar police station of Jagdalpur district, in which seven persons were killed.

The two were working closely with top Maoist leaders to expand the network of the banned outfit and take up anti-national activities, the NIA said.

During searches earlier in the houses of the accused, the NIA had seized several incriminating materials of the Maoist party.

The duo were working with different frontal organisations of CPI (Maoist) party, received funds from the Naxalites to spread the party’s ideology. They used to visit Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) and meet late R.K. alias Akkiraju Haragopal, the officials said.

The local police of Chhattisgarh registered a case in July 2019 on Tiriya encounter, and the NIA re-registered the case on March 18, 2021, and took up investigation.

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