Chhattisgarh police arrest 13 suspected Maoists

Bijapur (Chhattisgarh), May 3 (ANI): Chhattisgarh Police arrested 13 suspected Maoist rebels from a couple of villages and nearby forest areas in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Monday.

Eight of the 13 suspects were nabbed in Ponjer village.

Acting on a tip off, the police launched a combing operation in the Bijapur district.

"Police parties from various police stations raided several villages and arrested eight militiamen (Maoists) from the area under Bijapur police station," said Vedvrat Sirmour, Additional Superintendent of Police, Bijapur District.

Meanwhile, the relatives and friends of the arrested men alleged foul play and said that the detained persons were innocent.

"Police arrested them twice earlier saying that they will release them after brief interrogation but they sent them to the jail... Police did the same thing this time also... They raided our houses in the night...we are helpless as armed Maoists also came to our homes and we will have to accompany them in fear," said Hemla Lacchu, a relation of one of the detained suspect Maoists.

Chhattisgarh is one of the States badly affected by Maoist violence.

The estimated 20,000 Maoist combatants operate across a 'red corridor' stretching from the Nepal border to West Bengal and through central India into the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. (ANI)