With Maoists being sighted again in Wayanad, the police and the district administration may face a big headache in the days to come.
Jaleel, a Maoist who was killed on March 7 in an alleged encounter with the commandos of Thunderbolt, at a private resort at Lakkidi in the district.
Five armed persons, including two women, reached Makkimala town near Thalappuzha around 8 p.m. on Sunday, introducing themselves as Maoists, police department sources said.
They spent nearly 30 minutes in the town by shouting slogans and pasted posters on walls of the town. They interacted with nearly 15 villagers who were present in the town, the sources said.
They shook hands with the villagers but not allowed to take photographs on mobile phones.
The militants told them that they were the Kabani Dalam members of the Communist Party of India (Maoists) Western Ghats committee.
Encounter
They said they would retaliate against the planned murder of Jaleel. The encounter was fake and the incident was fabricated by the police with the support of some traitors of the resort, they added.
The Maoists left the town after procuring provisions like egg and bread from a grocery shop and paid ₹100 to its owner.
They also distributed the March edition of the ‘Kattu Thee’ a monthly publication of the organisation published by Mandakini, on behalf of the Kabani Dalam.
The pamphlet started with offering hundreds of red salutes to the martyr, Jaleel. It also asked the public to take revenge against the murder. Though the Thalappuzha police reached spot at once they could not trace any evidence of the militants.
The police have registered a case under various sections of the UAPA.