BHUBANESWAR: A day after questioning a man over suspected Maoist links, Odisha Police on Friday clarified that he was a labourer. The man, identified as Suresh Panharia of Nuapada district, was working as a labourer in Andhra Pradesh.
Panharia was intercepted by locals in Deuli area under Begunia police limits on Thursday evening when he had come to purchase flattened rice (chuda) in the market. They questioned him on suspicion and he stumbled upon their queries which further raised doubts of the residents, following which they handed him over to the police. Subsequently, a team comprising Special Operation Group (SOG) personnel launched an investigation into the matter. The police team went to the spot on Thursday night for further verification and found out that only some clothes and other articles were found there.
Central Range IG SK Priyadarshi questioned the man on Friday to verify whether he had any links with Maoists. “The man told us that he went to Andhra Pradesh for some work, but returned with two other men by train. We also questioned the residents of his village and they confirmed that he was working in Andhra Pradesh,” Priyadarshi said.
The police said Panharia along with two other persons went to AP a few months back to work in a brick kiln, but they returned and were hiding from the contractor as they had taken advance money from him. The investigation also revealed that the two other men also hail from Nuapada district.