Maoists gun down tribal youth in Visakhapatnam agency

A tribal youth, suspected of being a police informer, was gunned down by Maoists near Chitrakayaputtu village in Bongaram panchayat in Visakhapatnam agency area on Sunday.

The deceased, identified as Korra Ranga Rao (26) was a resident of Pedabayalu mandal. A former member of the militia from 2014-16, Rao was arrested and jailed previously. After being released, he bid adieu to the ultras and took up cultivation as reported by TNIE.

Ranga Rao was reportedly gunned down in an interior area of the Visakhapatnam agency region when he was on his way to collect money from a known person. A case has been registered in this regard.

Earlier this year, in a similar incident in the Visakhapatnam agency region, Maoists killed two tribals in Veeravaram village of Chintapalle after branding them as police informers. Gemmili Bhaskar Rao and Paangi Sathibabu were dragged out of their homes during the wee hours and thrashed to death by the members of the extremist organisation. The Maoists even left a note that read, “We had to kill them for the deaths of Comrades Sharath and Ganapati. Police informers should accept their mistakes in the public and lead a common life. The police should take responsibility for these killings.”