Maoists kill Mulugu tribal suspecting him to be police informer

MULUGU: Maoists killed a tribal in Venkatapuram mandal in the district, suspecting him to be a police informer late Wednesday night. The victim has been identified as Subaka Gopal, 55, a resident of Kondapur village. He belonged to the Gotti Koya tribe.

According to sources, five Maoists entered Gopal’s house and dragged him out, ignoring the pleas of his family members to leave him alone. They then stabbed him with knives and hacked him with an axe before they left. He died in a pool of blood.

While clearing away from the scene, the ultras left a letter issued by CPI (Maoist) Venkatapuram-Wazeedu Area Committee, stating that Gopal was punished because he had been working as a police informer. The letter also warned the people not to sbecome police informers, lured by the money they offer.

The murder of Gopal took place in the wake of Telangana Director-General of Police (DGP) M Mahender Reddy visiting Venkatapuram and conducting a high-level meeting with senior police officials of Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalpally and Mahabubabad districts on October 19.

With the incident, a high alert has been sounded in the Agency area in Mulugu district.The police increased security to the people’s representatives in the district on Thursday.Security has been beefed up and combing operations intensified in the Maoist-affected villages of Kannaigudem, Wajedu, Venkatapuram, Eturunagaram, and Mangapeta. The police are checking vehicles in Eturunagaram division in Mulugu district.

According to the police, special teams have already been combing the agency areas abutting the Telangana-Chhattisgarh borders. The police have alerted politicians, businessmen, affluent farmers, and revenue officials in the area of possible Maoist strikes.

Speaking to the media, Venkatapuram Inspector of Police K Shiva Prasad said that Gopal was not a police informer but the Maoists killed him branding him as one.A case has been registered under Section 302 IPC and his body was sent to the government hospital in Eturunagaram for a post-mortem examination.