Daijiworld Media Network – Karkala (SP)

Karkala, Apr 7: At around 8.00 pm on Tuesday April 5, a gang of armed naxals visited a house located in Melmeddu in Kabbinale near Hebri in the taluk, and posed death threat to the worker of a house. It is learnt that the gang had about ten members.

A person named Srinivas Rao, a native of this village, had recently sold his landed property to a man from Kerala. Reportedly, when the naxals came, only a labourer was present at the said house. The naxals enquired with the labourer about the owner’s whereabouts, and demanded money. They also threatened to kill him if he failed to cough up money. Growing fearful, the labourer escaped from them, ran away to a house located about a kilometre away, and spent the night there. The gang returned without vandalizing the house in question.

It is said that a gang of four naxals had visited Tengamar and Peetbail in Tingalamakki, three days back. The people as well as government agencies have of late been complacent in the belief that the naxal menace has become a thing of the past, as their presence was not felt, and as there was a perception that the naxals have failed to make any impact here, and hence retreated from their bases. The resumption of naxal activities will now require the policemen and the anti naxal force to take remedial measure to reinforce confidence among the villagers.

After the locals conveyed the information about naxal presence to the district superintendent of police, Dr Y S Ravikumar, on Wednesday morning, visited the village and consulted the villagers. Later, he held a meeting of top district officials at Hebri.