Seven Maoists held in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh

Seven members of CPI (Maoist) party including a deputy commander, one armed militia commander and a platoon member were arrested by Khammam district police today.

The police also recovered 3 landmines, 2 claymore mines, 50 kg gelatin and 25 metre wire bundle from them.

"The arrested are identified as K Chalamaiah, deputy commander of Chandranna Protection platoon, K Pullaiah, the armed ultra commander from Kurnapalli village of Charla mandal in Khammam district and D Raghupathi," platoon member of KKW divison, Bhadrachalam ASP Raghunath Reddy told reporters.

K Pullaiah participated in the September 14 State Bank of Hyderabad robbery at Satyanarayanappuram in Charla mandal, the police officer said adding "He was part of the forty-member Maoist group that committed about Rs 10 lakh robbery last month."

Pullaiah is also involved in eleven offences including four murders in Charla police station limits in the past one-and-a-half years, Reddy said.

The deputy commander of Chandranna protection platoon K Chalamaiah was with Dalam for five years and participated in 12 murders in Khammam and Warangal districts besides in the neighbouring Chattisgarh state, the police officer explained.

The platoon member of KKW division D Raghupathi participated in the triple murder in Tallagudem police station limits in March this year, he said. The police also arrested four armed militia members of Burugupadu village, Reddy added.