MANANTHAVADY: A group of miscreants, suspected to be the activists of the Western Ghats special zonal committee of CPI (Maoist), attacked a private resort in Thirunelly, located about 30 kilometres away from here, in the early hours of Tuesday.
The four-member gang, which forced entry into the ‘Agraharam Resorts’ by breaking the barbed-wire fence, smashed glass windows and damaged phones, computer and the printer at the resort’s office, the police said.
The police later recovered a couple of copies of pro-Maoist posters and pamphlets, suspected to be left behind by the group, from the premises of the resort promoted by the Greenroutes Hospitality.
The black-and-white leaflet reportedly carried a hand-written statement that tribal people are the bona fide owners of the land on which the resort is functioning, hence it should be returned to them at the earliest.
The banner was the one which was being put out by the banned outfit in connection with its 10th anniversary celebration a few months back, the police said.
A platoon of Thunderbolts commandos has launched combing operations for the gang in the forests under the Begur Forest Range of the North Wayanad Forest Division, said the officials. The police have also deployed additional forces at strategic locations in the areas vulnerable for infiltration and stepped up vigil along the inter-state border as a security precaution, sources said.
According to the staff of the jungle resort, the gang comprising three men and a woman barged into the premises of the villa around 3.30 am.
“I woke up on hearing a thud, but stayed indoors presuming that wild elephants might have sneaked into the area. But when I heard whispers from outside, I peeped through the window and saw four people moving around. Though they were communicating with each other in a low voice, I felt that they were not speaking Malayalam. It could either be Tamil or Kannada,” said a staff member.
An official said there were no CCTV cameras on the premises of the resort. The Thirunelly police have registered a case and a special police team, headed by DySP (SMS) K B Jeevanand, has been formed to probe the incident. District Superintendent of Police Putta Vimaladitya and other top police officials inspected the area.
Pro-Maoist posters had surfaced in and around Mananthavady a couple of weeks ago.
They were found pasted on the wall of the post office in Mananthavady and buildings and bus waiting sheds adjacent to the Puthiyadam tribal colony in Thalapuzha and the government college.