Bhubaneswar: Malkangiri police on Friday arrested two hardcore Maoists near Sodiguda and Tentuliguda villages under Mathili police limits following a special operation.
The arrested Maoists have been identified as Kesa Kawasi and Rakesh alias Sanu Kunjam, both natives of Chhattisgarh. A pistol, six rounds of ammunition, electric detonators, codex wire, gunpowder, a walkie-talkie, batteries, Maoist literature, and other incriminating materials were seized from them.
Both were carrying rewards of Rs 4 lakh each on their heads.
On the night of June 12, a special police team was formed and a search operation was launched in the nearby forest on the basis of intelligence about movement of Maoists near these villages. The Maoists attempted to flee by opening fire at the security forces early this morning. The security forces retaliated. While some Maoists managed to escape, Kesa Kawasi and Sanu Kunjam were apprehended.
Speaking to the media, Malkangiri SP Vinodh Patil said that Sanu Kunjam joined the Maoist in 2009 at age of 14. He was inducted into the banned CPI outfit in 2015 and was promoted to ACM in 2021. He worked under SZCM Suresh of Andhra-Odisha border division in 2025. He is involved in at least nine Maoist incidents.
Similarly, Kesa has been associated with the Maoist organisation since 2010. He was assigned to the Gupteswar Area Committee in 2014. He was active in the outfit between 2014 and 2016. Later, he was relocated to the cut-off area of Malkangiri district where he was promoted to ACM rank. Again, he was transferred to Gupteswar Area Committee as the Commander in 2021. Later, he worked as the ACM of Kanger Valley Area Committee in Chhattisgarh. He was involved in more than 18 cases.
