Maoist landmine attack plan foiled in Visakhapatnam

On Thursday, the bomb disposal team of the Visakhapatnam Rural Police succeeded in stopping yet another Maoist attack. Two Maoists have been arrested and held for interrogation in this regard.

Four high capacity landmines were found near the Nurmathi Armed Outpost and duly diffused. Police personnel had detected these with a remote sensor unit and immediately called in the bomb disposal experts. A large tragedy was avoided as these landmines were placed near the hostel of the Tribal Welfare Ashram School for Girls.

This attack was not planned in random. It coincides with a drive, of different job-oriented skill development programmes, being run by the police for the tribals in Agency areas. As per the Superintendent of Police (Visakhapatnam Rural), Attada Babuji, the Maoists planted the heavy powered landmines to create a panic like situation. This was in defiance to the Grama Darsini programmes. If detonated, the blasts would have killed several girls in the hostels, it is speculated.

The SP said that the Pedabayalu Area Committee is the mastermind behind this. The members identified V Prabhakar, K Srikanth, K Pandu, V Karthik, K Lachha and V Malleswara Rao of Kundram village. As well as, O Bheemudu, P Abraham, K Sattibabu, K Sitaram, G Prakash, V Ramu, P Chinna, P Linga of Vakapalli village and V Malleswara Rao, Santhi, Swarna, Sujatha and Vivek. Last year, a Maoist landmine attack in Visakhapatnam had left an individual minorly injured.

This is yet another achievement in the war against the Maoist terror and turmoil being carried out across Visakhapatnam and other states.