Top woman Red rebel arrested in Sambalpur

SAMBALPUR: In a breakthrough, Sambalpur police arrested a Maoist top gun on Saturday who had a reward of Rs 4 lakh against her capture.The 22-year-old Sumitra Kuanr was working as area commander of the SDS (Sambalpur-Deogarh-Sundergarh) zone of the outfit. Sambalpur S P Pratik Mohanty on Saturday said that she was involved in several criminal activities including the killing of police officer Narasingh Mahakud in 2009. Police had also detained another three women from the village but let them go as no evidence was found against them.Mohanty said that the woman, daughter of Bikram Kuanr of Badbahal village under Sambalpur's Kisinda police station, 35 km from here, had joined the outfit after making the acquaintance of Kunu Dehury, a local commander in 2007, when she was just 15 years old."She told the police that she joined the outfit after she was assured that she would be helped to continue with her studies with free lodging. She was completely unaware about the outfit when she joined it," Mohanty said.Mohanty said that she was sent to Saranda forest (Jharkhand) for training and after that she joined the extremist outfit. She was involved in various crimes and killed police officer Narasingh Mahakud during an encounter on June 15, 2009, at Gariakhaman in Kisinda police limits.But she returned to Saranda (west Singhbhum district) after the SDS zone became dormant towards the end of 2009 due to the arrest of several cadre leaders.During her stay, she came in contact with Ranbir, whom she later married and gave birth to a girl child. She became active again last year and she was using an Insas rifle but police did not seize it from her as it was not found on her during the arrest.