With the arrest of key leader of the Communist Party of India-Maoist, Andhra Pradesh police have busted a big conspiracy to carry out attack on a senior political figure or police official in Mehbubnagar district bordering Karnataka.
The arrested leader Chandrasekhar Gorebale, has been identified as the member of CPI-Maoist's Karnataka state committee member who had created base in a tribal hamlet in Yadgir district of Karnataka. Following his arrest, police raided the hideout in a rented house and recovered sophisticated weapons and communication equipment, apart form various other items, kept ready for the attack.
Police said that Gorebale was caught during a routine search operation in Mehbubnagar district on Sunday and two other members of the action team managed to escape. However, it is learnt that the Maoist leader was in police custody at least a week before the police announced it. His arrest was announced only after a thorough interrogation of the man.
What has come out during his questioning has rattled the top brass of the police and Special Investigations Bureau, which deals with the Maoist menace. Sources acquainted with the questioning say that the Maoists had planed to carryout a sensational attack in Andhra Pradesh to register their presence and were meticulously planning to execute the plan.
It has come as a big surprise to the police that Maoist this time chose the Karnataka border to attempt to infiltrate the state. Sources said that the Maoists have changed their route of Orissa and Chattisgarh border, as police was maintaining high vigil there and Greyhound units were keeping a hawk's eye on any attempt by Maoists to enter the state.
The cache of arms and equipments recovered from the hide out has also come as an eye opener for the police. It included an AK-47 rifle, carbines, .9 mm revolver, wireless sets, GPS system and devices to charge the mobile phones without electricity.
The Maoists had also arranged the Safari suits which are used by the VIP security guards in Andhra Pradesh. Sources said that apparently the Maoists had planned to attack their target in the garb of the security guards and also use carbines normally carried by these guards.
The new strategy of the Maoists, chalked out for Andhra Pradesh, also included zero dependence on the local people or local resources to maintain complete secrecy. The strategy was necessitated because of the failure of many such attempts in the recent past as the word spread around about their presence in the area. Wireless sets were also part of this strategy as they were apprehensive that the use of mobile phones will also help the police and intelligence in tracking them before or after the plans.
However, sources said that it was not clear who was the target and when they planned to carry out the attack. Even Chandrasekhar was not aware of the details as his role was restricted to reconnaissance and preparations after which someone else was to lead the operation.
Interestingly, Chandrasekhar had taken the house of a tribal woman on rent posing as a Ph.D. student, doing research on the tribal people and used to visit the place once in a while.
