Maoists-police in gunbattle in Kerala's Wayanad, 2 arrested

Two Maoists -- a man and a woman -- were apprehended following a gun battle in a forest area in Wayanad, Kerala, late on Tuesday night, the police said.

The apprehended Maoists have been identified as Chandru and Unnimaya, a police official said on Wednesday.

The encounter broke out between Kerala Police's specialised teams and Maoists in the Periya area under Thalappuzha police station limit, the police said.

The incident occurred when a group of  Maoists, reportedly five in number, sought shelter in a house to charge their mobile phones, police sources said.

During the operation, three members of the group managed to escape from the scene, they said. 

The apprehended Maoists have been taken to a police camp nearby for questioning, the sources added. 

Kerala police teams had launched a combing operation in the area based on intelligence inputs received from a Maoist messenger apprehended on Tuesday in neighbouring Kozhikode district.

During the operation, the Maoists opened fire at the Special Operation Group (SOG) and the Thunderbolt Squad, both elite commando forces of the state police, sources said. 

Last month, a group of Maoists, armed with sophisticated weapons, had arrived at a private resort in Makkimala in Thalappuzha and taken control of the manager's mobile phone to send a statement to the media regarding issues faced by estate workers.

The ultras, six in number, had allegedly insisted on obtaining the mobile phone from the hotel staff, subsequently instructing him to WhatsApp their statement to a select group of journalists.

The police then had registered a case  under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Arms Act in connection with this incident.

Recently, there have been reports of suspected Maoist presence in various forest-fringe hamlets in Wayanad and neighbouring Kannur districts.