Arms loot: Intelligence units step up surveillance in Theni

Theni, Tamil Nadu, Feb 10 (UNI) The Intelligence units have stepped up the surveillance in the dense forests of Varushanadu Hills in Theni District in coordination with the local police after suspected Maoists looted arms from a police station in Dharmapuri district yesterday.

A senior Intelligence official told UNI today that all the police stations in Theni district were alerted to keep track of the movement of suspected persons and the surveillance was escalated in the remote village adjoining Varushanadu Hills, Periyakulam forest range and Bodinayakkanur hills. Routine vehicle screening at all the check posts had been intensified.

The outlaws had looted six rifles and one walkie-talkie from the police station at Adhiyamankottai in Dharmapuri, once a naxal-infested district.

Sources said 'men in plain clothes' had been keeping a vigil on the remote areas and the police had asked the villagers to provide information on suspected intruders, if any.

The Tamil Nadu Special Task Police (STF), an elite commando unit to deal with insurgency, had been combing the forests in the district, he added.

Asked whether the arms were looted by the Maoists, he said though there were possibilities of Maoists' involvement in the incident, a detailed investigation was on to find out the culprits.

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