A group of gun-wielding persons, suspected to be Maoists, allegedly forced their way into the residence of a police officer and threatened him with dire consequences if he ‘failed to obey them.’
According to Pramod Bhaskaran, a civil police officer attached to the traffic unit, Mananthavady, the four-member gang barged into his residence at Mattilayam, under the Vellamunda police station limits, around 11 pm on Thursday, and threatened him at gunpoint. The miscreants also torched his motorbike parked in the courtyard and pasted posters in the name of ‘CPI (Maoist)’ on the wall of his house.
Pramod is also a member of the district-level anti-Maoist squad. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has sought a report from the district police chief regarding the incident.
Unconfirmed reports said that one among the gang members was Roopesh alias Praveen, who is in the list of ‘wanted Maoists’ in the state. The group, comprising three women and a man, spoke in Tamil and Malayalam, and reportedly told Pramod’s mother that they were Maoists. They also allegedly threatened her to force Pramod to resign his job.
The hand-written poster warned the police officer who ‘is at the forefront of suppressing poor and tribal people,’ and threatened that ‘the traitors would be punished with death.’ The poster also carried a call to unite against the homeguard who worked towards creating traitors, and to establish a ‘people’s democratic state through armed struggle.’
Kannur Range IG Suresh Raj Purohit and district police chief Putta Vimaladitya visited the police officer’s residence and assessed the situation on Friday. The fingerprint division of the Forensic Department has collected samples from the place of crime.
A platoon of Thunderbolt commandos had launched combing operations for the gang in Kunhome forests under the Periya Forest Range of the North Wayanad Forest Division, said officials. Police had also deployed additional forces at strategic locations in the areas vulnerable to infiltration and stepped up vigil along the inter-state border as a security precaution, sources said.
A case has been registered at the Vellamunda police station based on the police officer’s complaint.