Maoists hatched plot in Chennai

HYDERABAD: The conspiracy to eliminate former chief minister N Janardhan Reddy was hatched and monitored from Chennai by the Maoist party's central committee members.

The intelligence wing has gathered that top Maoist leaders take shelter in Chennai considering it to be relatively safe as the police in Andhra Pradesh are hot on their trail. Senior police officials involved in the anti-naxalite operation said they had information that even central committee members of the CPI (Maoists) would frequently visit Chennai. The AP State Committee of Maoists has its tentacles in Guntur, Prakasam, Nalgonda and all Rayalaseema districts, including Nellore.

Police believe the Maoists have chosen Nellore district for the attack on the former chief minister due to its proximity to Chennai.

"Since a former chief minister was the target, the central committee leaders themselves must have planned and monitored the attack from Chennai. We suspect those who carried out the operation might have escaped to Chennai," a senior police officer said.

One top Maoist leader who was arrested on the Andhra-Orissa border reportedly revealed that the Maoists conducted a recce in Visakhapatnam last year as part of their conspiracy to kill N Janardhan Reddy and but could not execute the plan.

The police have come to an initial conclusion that a special action squad executed the Friday's attack under the supervision of top Maoist leader Sakhamuri Appa Rao. Another expert in special assignments Ashanna alias Takkelapalli Vasudeva Rao had led the team.

The officers admit that the Maoists shifted their base from Nellore to Chennaiin 2004 and 2005.

Whenever AP State Committee of Maoists holds meeting in Nallamala, Nellore is the transit point for leaders to reach the venue.

Tech Madhu, who was the mastermind in the rocket launchers case, took shelter in Nellore along with another 'den keeper' Satyam alias Satyaraj. The police suspected some of the rocket launchers and weapons were made in Nellore district itself.

When Tech Madhu shifted to Chennai for manufacturing rocket launchers in Ambattur in north-western suburb of Chennai, Satyam was shifted to another den in Chennai. When the rocket launchers were seized in Giddaluru in Prakasham district, the police found that one consignment was booked from Vedayapalem in Nellore district.

Pressure mines, which were seized from a transport company in Vijayawada in October, 2006, were made in Nellore. The explosives were intended to be sent to Nallamala.

The intelligence officers dismiss the argument by the local police that there are no naxal activities in Nellore district. Sitaramapuram mandal, which has border with Kadapa and Prakasham district, Rapur, Venkatagiri, Pattapupalem and Allur mandals are naxal effected. In some villages in Dakkili mandal, CPI (ML) Janasakthi has dalams.

The slain top Janasakthi leader, Riyaz, was from Nellore district.

Times of india