RK's active involvement alarms cops

VISAKHAPATNAM: Buzz about dreaded Maoist leader Ramakrishna alias RK increasingly playing an active role in naxal activities in the Andhra Odisha Border areas, particularly Visakha Agency, despite his ailing health, has sent a frisson of alarm running through the security forces involved in anti-naxal operations in the AOB.
According to sources, despite suffering from kidney ailments, RK has been actively guiding the rank and file of the CPI Maoists and has even deployed around 100 armed naxals from Chhattisgarh in the Visakha area.RK is also learnt to have been one of the top leaders that trained the Chhattisgarh cadres a couple of weeks ago in the Visakha forests.
It is learnt that Akkiraju Haragopal alias Saketh alias RK personally took classes of the Chhattisgarh cadres for almost three days near Gummurevula area of Visakha Agency on political awareness and AOB topography before leaving for the Kalimela area of Odisha.
The move, which is part of the naxals' strategy to regain their old strongholds, has pumped up the morale of the Reds. "The Red guerillas have been observing TCOC (tactical counter offensive campaign), which is generally observed by naxals from February to April end across their stronghold areas, and may strike at any place in the AOB area. The police top brass has alerted all police stations in the Visakha Agency and advised them to take precautionary measures," said a senior police official involved in anti-naxal operations.
"The senior Maoist leader (RK) was instrumental in various attacks, including the Balimela ambush and Malkangiri collector kidnap, during his tenure as AOB secretary. Now, he has been acting as a central committee contact to the AOB committee. Security forces suspect that Maoists may unleash bloodshed at any time to show that they still strong in Visakha district," said a source.
When contacted, Visakha Rural SP Koya Praveen said they have information about the movement of top Maoist leaders in the AOB and have already alerted the security forces. He refused to divulge any further details.
Over the past couple of years, the Maoist movement has been on the wane in the Visakha district following surrenders and arrests apart from the setbacks like the Sagulu and Veeravaram incidents, sources said. To regain lost ground, Maoists have been deploying militia members for gathering news about the movements of security forces.
Alarmed security forces have now intensified combing operations in various pockets of the Visakha Agency after cops reportedly found a group of Maoists in the Busiputtu area of Munchingput mandal that shares borders with Odisha's Malkangiri district.