BHOPAL: One of the crucial supply chains of the outlawed CPI (Maoists) in Naxal affected Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh has been busted with the arrest of 11 couriers/informants by the anti-Naxal security apparatus on Thursday and Friday.
The 11 men, all villagers from Balaghat district were arrested from Lanji and Birsa dense forests of Balaghat district which neighbours Naxal hit Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh and Gondia district of Maharashtra.
The arrests were made based on specific inputs from state intelligence sleuths, who have been keeping an eye on the developments of these couriers/informants forming a key part of chain supplying food and other logistical support to the armed CPI (Maoists) cadres in jungles of MP, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, inspector general of police (IG-Intelligence) at state police headquarters in Bhopal, Makarand Deouskar told The New Indian Express on Friday.
All 11 men are part of a Sangam Dalam (group), which has been tasked with rendering adequate food and other important supplies to the left wing extremist (LWE) cadres in Balaghat, where armed Naxal extremists have been operative since late 1990s.
“The arrested men have been remanded into three days police custody by a local court and their questioning now is likely to render the anti-Naxal security establishment more decisive inputs for acting definitively against the Naxal cadres in the jungles of MP, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra,” said a police officer privy to the development in Balaghat district.
The three axal groups associated with CPI (Maoists), including Tanda Dalam, Malajkhand Dalam and Darre Khasa Dalam have been active in the jungles of Balaghat and adjoining states since past several years.
The 11 arrested men, all aged between 20 and 30 years were arrested along with stocks of food grain and other things of daily usage, besides Naxal literature. The arrested men have admitted supplying the much needed food and other support to the Naxals since last several months.
Not only were they key part of supply chain of Malajkhand, Tanda and Darre Khasa Dalams, but were also giving local support to Platoon 2 and 3 of the Vistar Dalam, a new group of CPI (Maoists) that has been tasked to create a new red corridor spanning from Kabirdham (Chhattisgarh) to Umaria in MP via the Mandla and Dindori districts of MP.