Maoist remanded in judicial custody

Chennai, July 11 (UNI) The ''Q'' Branch Police, which nabbed three Maoists during a combing operation in Tiruppur yesterday, produced one of them before the Poonamallee Sessions Court today.

Two others, who were arrested along with Sundaramoorthy, were produced before courts in Periyakulam and remanded in custody, reports received here said.

The Maoist, Sundaramoorthy, the kingpin allegedly involved in various acts of extremism, was also remanded in judicial custody.

The Police also filed a petition seeking ten-day custody of the accused.

Preliminary investigations by the Q branch police with the accused have revealed the existence of several outfits and their nexus with extremists.

Following their revelations, few other naxalites were also expected to land in the police net, official sources said.

After formally taking the three Maoists in their custody, the police would take them to Theni, Periakulam, Murugamalai,Tiruppur, Salem and Dharmapuri to unravel the network of insurgents in southern districts and trace the source of their arms and ammunition supply.

Maoist leader Sundaramoorthy, who was involved in the conspiracy to derail trains, and two of his accomplices Karthi and Easwaran were nabbed during combing operations carried out by the Special Task Force to curb Naxal activities in Periakulam forest range yesterday.

Sundaramoorthy, who allegedly went into hiding 15 years back, had established a strong network with several banned outfits in the country.

Following the arrest of three Maoists, the Q Branch Police have deployed additional forces and are on the lookout for seven other outlawed persons who had escaped from the clutches of police at Murugamalai in Theni recently.

UNI