Visakha Rural cops claim Naxalites' involvement in ganja cultivation

VISAKHAPATNAM: Visakha Rural Cops claimed that for the first time they have cracked the nexus between Naxalites and ganja traders with proofs.
During an interrogation of a ganja trader, rural cops came to know about the alleged cultivation of ganja by the Naxalites.
According to anti-Naxalite operations OSD Satish Kumar, they arrested a 36-year-old person Kolakani Kamesh of Maddigaruvu area in G Madugula, a stronghold of CPI Maoists.
"We know that Maoists collect levy from the ganja traders. But it is shocking news for us as they are now cultivating ganja and trading by joining hands with the ganja traders," he said.
Cops of G Madugula police station arrested Kamesh on Wednesday and seized two steel carriages, 10 detonators, nuts and bolts. They also seized 24kg ganja and Rs 1.76 lakh in cash. The accused Kamesh accepted that he had been working for the Maoist Ashok and his wife Lakshmi.
Kamesh was contacted by Maoist Prabhakar alias Ashok of Kondrum village four years ago. Ashok and his wife Lakshmi would give ganja stock and Kamesh would sell it to other big traders such as Krishna of Odisha, Depak Ramakrishna, Anil Sheik and Gautam Sanurao of Maharashtra.
Narsipatnam OSD, Satish Kumar said that Kamesh would sell the ganja and supply the necessary material, including food and other material to the Maoists squads. Kamesh brought rice, medicines, milk powders, tea packets and even the required material for explosives secretly several times.
The material seized from Kamesh by the cops would be used in explosives.
"Naxalites might be in a plan to eliminate the combing security forces. They planted a landmine at Kondrum where two innocent tribals were killed a couple of days ago. They are converting the tribal youth as ganja smugglers and arrested persons are now in prisons," Satish Kumar added.