Two Maoists arrested, huge explosives seized in Ganjam

BRAHMAPUR: During anti-Maoist operations in a jungle near Salimagochha village under Merikote Reserve Forest in Ganjam district, the joint team of the Ganjam police and the Special Operation Group (SOG) on Saturday night arrested two Maoists and seized a huge cache of explosives after destroying a Maoist camp in the jungle, said Southern Range DIG Amitabh Thakur at a Press meet here on Sunday.

  

The Maoists were identified as Bhupati Mahanta (22) alias Papu of Tangarpada village and Govinda Moharana (24) of Tambahara village under the Harichandanpur police limits in Keonjhar district.

Bhupati confessed before the police that he was introduced to the Odisha Maovadi Party (OMP) by Gopi Mishra to act as personal courier of OMP chief Sabyasachi Panda, while Govinda was introduced into the party a few days ago by Bhupati. 

Thakur said there was exchange of fire between the police party and the suspected Maoists for about 45 minutes on Saturday morning after detection of the Maoist camp in the jungle. 

Though the security personnel nabbed two ultras from the spot, others managed to flee from the spot. The police team recovered 7.62 SLR, one magazine, 7.26 mm ammunition ball, one SBML gun, one camera, traditional sharp weapons, two bundles of electric wire, Maoists literature, medicines and other household articles from the camp, said Ganjam SP Asish Singh.