A group of Maoists, on the 8th of July, kidnapped Nalluri Srinivas Rao, a member of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS,) from Kothur village in Kothagudem district, Telangana.
The incident came to light on the 9th of July, when police addressed the media and shared information about the same.
The incident took place on the 8th of July, around 10:15 P.M., when a group of 15 Maoists, armed with guns and sticks, assaulted and kidnapped Srinivas from his residence.
According to the statement given by Devi, Nalluri Srinivas’ wife, 3 of the accused entered their residence and assaulted Srinivas for taking over the land owned by the Gitijans and Adivasis and extending crop loans at exorbitant rates.
Devi said, “They also pointed a gun at me. We were not allowed to step out of our house.”
The Telangana Police constituted a special team for investigation and traced the leader of the Maoist group in Chhattisgarh.
Rajesh Chandra, the Assistant Superintendent of Police (SP) of Bhadrachalam, addressed the media and said, “His phone is switched off but we are following up the case. We are also coordinating with Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh Police.”
Sunil Dutt, the District Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Bhadrachalam, said, “We are following it up. We want him to come back immediately.”
Approximately 300 villagers of Kothur, Cherla and nearby villages, accompanied by the TRS leaders, started for Chhattisgarh and demanded Srinivas’ release.
It is expected, the suspected Maoist group kidnapped Srinivas to threaten the TRS, the ruling Government of Telangana, so that they fulfill the demands of the Naxalites and stop the encounters against them.
An investigation regarding the case is underway.
Stay tuned for further updates.
