By IANS,
Raipur : A major Maoists supply chain was busted with the arrest from different locations here of three people, including a woman, and recovery of 270 live cartridges used in AK-47 and self-loading rifles, police said Thursday.
Police arrested Anjali Chauhan, a suspended panchayat secretary, from Sarona area, and Abdul Mujib, a suspended teacher, from Ravanbhatha Tuesday evening. The ammunition was recovered from Anjali.
According to police, they had come here from Konta of Bastar district to deliver the ammunition to a Maoist group operating in Rajnandgaon district.
Later, Wednesday night, police also arrested Anjali’s husband Sheikh Anwar, a journalist, from Gita Hotel where he was staying with his mother-in-law and six-year-old daughter.
A few hours before his arrest, Anwar and his mother-in-law told journalists that they had come here to lodge a complaint with the chief minister regarding the disappearance of Anjali.
They said Anjali, who had been missing since June 6, was arrested by Sukma police when she was going to meet Jagdalpur collector in connection with her suspension. They came to Raipur after knowing about Anjali’s arrest by Raipur police June 12.
They also accused the police of framing her under false charges.
The three accused have been booked under Public Safety Act, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and others, police said.
Meanwhile, Konta legislator Kawasi Lakhma Wednesday told media persons that police were harassing tribal people of Bastar region and implicating them in false cases.
According to Lakhma, Anjali and Mujib were arrested in Sukma June 6 while they were going to Jagdalpur in a vehicle along with three others, who were still missing.
Police, on the other hand, said the three arrested people had Maoist links.
Anjali and Mujib were arrested earlier too on charges of attacking Salwa Judum leader P. Vijay Kumar April 28, 2011 and were out on bail. Anjali’s husband, too, helped in supply of arms to Maoist groups, police said.
According to the police, Anjali’s main work was to help injured ultras in getting treatment, besides convincing youth of her area to join Maoist outfits.
Mujib is said to be the major link between top Maoist leadership like Ramanna and Rosanna who head more than one group of ultras operating in Bastar, Dandakaranya and areas bordering Odisha.
Refuting the charges of harassment and police excesses, Additional Director General of Police (Naxal operations) Ramniwas told IANS: “Police have enough evidence against the three people. They not only indulged in supply of arms but are active members of Naxal (Maoist) outfit Dandakaranya Area Division.”