Nayagarh: Maoists barged into Banigochha forest range office under Mahanadi wildlife division in the district and decamped with four country guns and mobile phones after brutally assaulting a forester Tuesday night. The forest range office is near Kuanria dam at Banigochha in the district.
The incident took place despite heavy security arrangements have been made due to ongoing polls in the state. What has surprised many is that the ultras could dare to raid the forest range office about 8-km from Daspalla where the famous Lanka Podi Yatra was going on. The small town of Daspalla was heavily crowded due to the festival.
The ultras made their presence felt as they stormed the forest range office and looted weapons from the staff and mobile phones after assaulting the forester Hemant Kumar Kandi who was living with his family inside the forest range office. The incident has spread shockwaves in the area.
The incident occurred, about 9: 30 PM when as many as five heavily armed Maoists entered the office located in Daspalla block as the forester and his family members were going to have their dinner.
One of the ultras stood near the gate while another guarded the front door of their quarters. “Among them (Maoists) were three women while another three among them were conversing in Odia while the rest of them in Hindi,” Kandi said. The ultras in army fatigues were holding guns, knives and lathis in their hands and had covered their faces with masks, he added. They barged inside the house and looted seven mobile phones and asked Kandi about the guns in the office. They assaulted him when he refused to speak up.
Later, they entered the office and ransacked its premises. They broke open an almirah but failed to find any guns. Later, they broke open another room and looted four guns which the forest officials had seized from the poachers at different point of times.
They warned to blow up Kandi and his family members as well as other forest officials if they dared to inform the police and affixed some posters on the walls of the office before leaving the premise. They also left behind some letters. They boarded an auto-rickshaw and sped away towards the Kuanria dam, Kandi added.
Wednesday morning, the family members of Kandi found the mobile phones lying scattered on the road outside the office.
Nayagarh SDPO Niranjan Padhi and Daspalla IIC Biswajit Routray rushed to the spot Wednesday morning and started an investigation after the forester lodged a complaint in this context with Daspalla Police.
The red rebels had disconnected electricity supply to the office before carrying out the raid.
When contacted, SP Shashi Bhushan Satapathy confirmed the incident stating that a probe is underway to ascertain whether the attackers were dacoits or Maoists.
PNN