Five suspected Maoists escape police raid

Rourkela, Jul 25 (UNI) Five suspected Maoists managed to escape while a woman accompanying them was detained by the police during a raid on a weekly market at Kutra about 50 km from here, police today said.

The rebels came to the market on three motorbikes along with the woman yesterday but fled when they were chased.

The woman was, however, nabbed and detained by the police who seized the bikes.

The suspected ultras belonged to the Jharkhand Liberation Tiger,a breakaway group of the CPI(ML) in Jharkhand, police said.

The woman, identified as Binita Ekka (22), denied having links with the Maoists and said she had only sought a lift to come to the Kutra weekly market.

She hailed from Kalasora village under Bulba police station in Jharkhand.

The Orissa police later handed her over to the Jharkhand police for further investigation.

UNI XC-DP PL AB 1428