Villagers kill 3 Naxals as ‘ revenge’ in Vizag

The Maoists abducted two persons and branding them as police informers gunned down one of them despite the pleas of villagers and his family members

In a rare reversal, Maoists tasted backlash from a group of villagers in Vizag Agency, one of whom they had killed, accusing him of being a police informer. In retaliation, the villagers killed three Maoists of the Korukonda area committee.

Over 400 villagers attacked the Left wing extremists on Sunday night at Veeravaram village, a Maoist hot bed around 150- km from Vizag close to Balapam area under Annavaram police station limits of Chintapalle mandal.

The villagers were enraged over gunning down of a tribal, Gemmili Sanjeeva Rao ( 39), by Maoists who branded him a police informer on Sunday evening.

Balapam area is a small tribal hamlet with around 400 to 500 families and surrounded by dense forests of teak, silver oak trees and coffee plantations.

A group of armed Maoists and Maoist militia members led by Sindri Chinna Ranga Rao alias Sharath, DCM rank of Korukonda area commit- tee, abducted two persons, Sanjeeva Rao, a former Maoist and his friend Mr Jagganna Dora Simhachalam, a local spiritual leader, when the duo was on their way to Boddala Veedhi of G. Madugula mandal at Erradibbalu area on Sunday.

Branding them as police informers the Maoists gunned down Sanjeeva Rao near Balapam area despite the pleas of villagers and his family members. When the ultras attempted to kill Mr Simhachalam, the irate villagers tried to stop them by snatching their weapons and damaging them.

They later attacked the ultras with stones and sticks, resulting in the death of three Maoists, Sindri Chinna Ranga Rao, Korra Nageswara Rao of Gillebanda and Palasa Ganapathi of Sabbapalli village.

However, Maoists Anand and two militia members managed to escape.