A group of former Janashakti Naxalites were arrested by the Rachakonda police on Saturday on charges of extortion and robberies in and around Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district and Hyderabad.
Police seized an illegally-possessed tapancha, an air pistol and an air revolver and live rounds from the accused, who have been identified as Pittala Srinivas alias Srinanna (45) from Chennur in Janagoan, Vallala Nagamallaiah alias Mallesh (58) from Pathagutta in Yadagirigutta, Edavalli Srinivas Reddy alias Chandranna (49) from Chikkadpally and Gangapuram Swamy alias Mallesh (55) from Perepalli in Nalgonda.
Police said that the accused previously worked with CPI (ML) Maoist and CPI (ML) Janashakti groups. “They left the extremist groups and surrendered before the police who bounded them over before the Mandal Executive Magistrate under security acts,” Commissioner of Police Mahesh Bhagwat said.
In fact, they got acquainted with each other while they were working in similar and banned extremist organisations and after departing from the groups, they worked as daily labourers, but could not succeed economically. “Having experience in criminal intimidation and extortion, the group has indulged in various criminal activities after leaving the outlawed parties,” he said.
In 2019, Srinivas and Swamy along with their associates committed a dacoity under the limits of Kodakandla police station in which they threatened the wine shop owner with country-made weapons and robbed ₹6 lakh.
