Date:20/04/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/04/20/stories/2005042012870400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Huge arms dump unearthed

N. Rahul

Major attack is averted, claim police Major attack is averted, say police sources

HYDERABAD: The police on Tuesday recovered a huge dump of explosive material and ammunition concealed by the Maoists in the Nallamala forest in Kurnool and Prakasam districts.

The material recovered from the dump under Velugode police station limits in Kurnool district included 30 iron balls resembling "shot-put'' balls and 80 empty casings meant for Claymore mines. A huge quantity of explosive material was also recovered, police sources here said.

Some one thousand rounds of ammunition were recovered from two or three spots in the forest under Markapur police station limits in Prakasam district.

The sources said the danger of the kind experienced in the attack on Eturunagaram and Mahadevpur police station limits in Warangal and Karimnagar districts respectively a few years ago was averted by the recovery of the iron balls which had the power to penetrate walls under the impact of explosion.

On the back foot

The recovery of the material is a serious blow to the activities of the Maoists in the Nallamala forest.

The Nallamala Forest Division Committee (NFDC) of the CPI (Maoist) is plagued with the problem of depleting strength of the cadre due to surrenders and their inability to trace the "rendezvous'' point following frequent encounters and combing by police following breakdown of peace talks.

Desertions continue

According to senior police officers, the Guerilla Base II of NFDC which extends its activities south of the Krishna from Atmakur in Kurnool district to Erragondapalem in Prakasam is badly affected by desertions.

A district committee member (DCM), Raji Reddy alias Sham, and three dalam commanders were among 21 naxalites who have surrendered here.

In fact, the Mahanandi and Bhavanasi dalams in Kurnool district have no following. The GB I which is north of the Krishna from Somasila to Alatampenta in Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar districts is, however, a strong base of the Maoists.