Gutti Koya Maoist Commander involved in killing of 86 CPPF jawans and four civilians held in Andhra Pradesh
The Hindu
Arrested Gutti Koya Section Commander of CPI-Maoist in Andhra-Chhattisgarh State for multiple attacks on security forces.
Sodi Baman, a 23-year-old Gutti Koya Section Commander of a platoon of the banned Communist Party of India (CPI-Maoist), who was involved in various attacks on paramilitary forces and killing civilians on Andhra-Chhattisgarh State over the past decade was arrested by the Chintoor police in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district on July 6.
Mr. Baman has been active along the forest covers of Sabari and Sileru rivers on the tri-State borders of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Mr. Baman is the Commander of the 4th platoon’s B Section.
Speaking to newsmen at a press conference here on Saturday, Rampachodavaram ASP (Operations) K.V. Maheswara Reddy has said; “Sodi Baman is involved in 24 offences, in which 86 CRPF jawans were killed in the attacks on the security forces and exchange of fire in the Chhattisgarh State. A native of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh State, Mr. Baman belongs to Gutti Koya tribe and joined the CPI-Maoist in 2014”. He was 14 when he joined the CPI-Maoist.
“Mr. Baman, and another Maoist sympathiser, Jaddi Nageswara Rao (Koya Dora tribe) of Chintoor Mandal, have been arrested while the duo was planning to plant a land mine on the outskirts of Pega panchayat in ASR district on Andhra-Chhattisgarh State border to target the security forces. The duo was spotted and arrested by the security forces during the combing operation, led by the State police and CRPF Jawans”, said ASP Mr. Maheswara Reddy.
The police have seized one pressure cooker bomb, two grenades, cordex wire, iron pieces, electric wire and a battery from the duo.
Mr. Baman has been involved in the killing of four civilians in the ASR district in 2017, 2021 and 2023. In 2021 alone, he has allegedly killed two civilians branding them as police informers. Three of the victims belonged to Chintoor Mandal and another one belongs to Yetapaka area.
Until 2024, Mr. Baman was involved in the six major attacks on the security forces in the Chaattisgarh State.