Nagpur: In a significant breakthrough, Gadchiroli police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) arrested a hardcore Maoist, Ankal alias Mannu Sulge Pallo, deputy commander of the Korchi Dalam, on Friday from Kawande jungle, near Maharashtra’s last police post. He had a reward of Rs six lakh on his head. This post gained prominence after the visit of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last month. The 28-year-old Maoist, a resident of Kawande in Bharmaragad tehsil, was nabbed while conducting reconnaissance to orchestrate subversive activities in the region.Sulge, who was underground since 2020, was a key figure in the 2019 Jambhulkheda blast in Kurkheda which killed 15 police personnel. The NIA took over the probe into the blast. Sulge’s active involvement in the attack and other violent anti-state operations made him a high-value target, with the Maharashtra govt announcing a reward for his capture. Sulge’s arrest marks a major success in Gadchiroli police’s anti-Maoist operations, with 104 Maoists apprehended since January 2022.The operation was executed by a joint team comprising the Special Operations Squad, Kawande police post, and CRPF’s 37th Battalion C-Company. Acting on intelligence, the teams spotted a suspicious individual in the Kawande jungle, leading to Sulge’s swift apprehension. Further interrogation revealed his role in multiple violent incidents, including a 2021 encounter in Khobrameda jungle. He faces charges in five cases, including three encounters and two murders. A Kurkheda court has remanded him to seven days of police custody.Sulge’s Maoist journey began in 2012 as a member of the National Indravati Park Company in Chhattisgarh, followed by stints in Bharmaragad and Korchi Dalams, rising to deputy commander by 2017. Since 2020, he operated covertly along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, gathering intelligence for Maoist activities. The operation was led under the guidance of senior officials, including Inspector General (Anti-Naxal Operations) Sandip Patil, Deputy Inspector General Ankit Goyal, and Gadchiroli SP Neelotpal, who vowed to intensify anti-Maoist operations.
