NIA arrests 4 Maoists who shot dead 2 MLAs in Visakhapatnam

Hyderabad: The National Investigation Agency has registered a case to trace and nab a section of Maoists responsible for the sensational killing of an Araku constituency MLA and Telugu Desam whip Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma, in the forests of Livitipattu village in Dumbiriguda mandal. 

The forests fall under Vishakhapatnam agency area.

The Vishakhapatnam (rural) police had earlier arrested four Maoists, including two women, who had participated in the killing of the politicos, who were on a ‘Grama Darshini’ programme, an initiative taken up by the Andhra Pradesh state government.

On September 23, 2018, at about 12.20 pm MLA Sarveswara Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma were on their way to visit the villages in two cars when they were stopped by a group of at least 30 Maoists.

The Maoists took away the weapons carried by the personal security officers of the leaders and took the duo to a distance, tied their hands and gunned them down immediately. 

This reportedly happened soon after a Praja Court (kangaroo court) took place at the spot.

The incident had taken place when the Maoists were celebrating their formation week (Varotsavalu) in the Araku valley forests between September 21 to September 27.

After 20 days of the incident, the Vishakhapatnam police arrested four Maoists Yedala Subba Rao, 45, Gemmeli Sobhan, 32, Yedela Eswari, 34, and Korra Kamala, 35, all natives of Dumbiriguda mandal, while over 25 people are still at large.

Following the killings, the Union Home Ministry considered the seriousness of the issue and gave orders transferring the case to the country’s premier investigation agency, NIA, at Hyderabad.

“The allegations are that MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma were killed by a group of CPI (Maoist) cadres near Livitiputtu village in Pothangi Panchayath of Dumbiriguda when they were going to Sarai village in two vehicles to attend a ‘Grama Darshini’. As per the orders issued by the MHA, a case has been registered under Sections 120 B, 147, 148, 302, 342, 353 and 397 r/w 149 of IPC, and under sections 25 and 27 of Arms Act, besides and Sections 16, 18 and 20 of Unlawful Activates (Prevention) Act,” NIA officials said.