Daijiworld Media Network - Madikeri (SP)

Madikeri, Apr 26: Two unidentified people, who were sighted at Tadiyandamol hill area in Yavakapady village in the taluk on Thursday April 25, are suspected to be naxals. They entered a home, and forcibly took away a mobile phone a woman was holding in another house, before escaping. It is also believed that they took away rice from a neighbouring house.

The mobile phone in question was found to have been abandoned some distance away from the said house.

The incident happened at around 10 am on Thursday. The house which the duo approached belongs Cariappa from Yavakapady village. Cariappa's wife, Anita, was at home with her children. She had come out to the courtyard to make a call to her husband when a woman wearing Churidar and overcoat aged about 40, and a man with black jerkin and black bag in hand suddenly emerged out of thick growth of vegetation. The woman snatched away the mobile phone from Anita's hand, and threatened to kill her if she conveys information about their presence to anyone. On this occasion, rice kept inside the house of Rajesh living nearby went missing. It is thought that these two unidentified persons would have taken it away.

This incident spread panic in the area. Anti Naxal Force personnel and policemen of the district have been undertaking searches for the suspected naxals in the forest region. Senior police officials visited the spot, undertook scrutiny and guided the operation.

District superintendent of police, Dr Suman D Pannekar, speaking about the said incident, explained that the details provided by Anita about the two persons do not match with details of any of the naxals known to the police administration. Photographs of naxals were shown to the woman and she confirmed that none of them matches with the uninvited visitors. Moreover, the strangers were not wearing uniform, and they did not have any arms with them. She added that although it is being claimed that they had taken away rice, no one had seen them actually taking rice away. Therefore, she said that there is no basis to conclude that the visitors were naxals. However, investigation is continuing, and search operation has been on, she explained.