The police have initiated an investigation into the origin of assault rifles, including AK 47 and INSAS Light Machine Guns, confiscated from Maoist cadres during an encounter at the Chapparam tribal settlement near Mananthavadi, Wayanad, on Tuesday night.
Chandru and Unnimaya, the arrested cadres, have not disclosed specific details about the source. However, the probe is honing in on the theory that northern cadres supplied these weapons to their southern counterparts.
ADGP (North Zone) M R Ajith Kumar confirmed the seizure of sophisticated army weapons from the site. Instances of Maoists attacking troops in the north, such as the 2021 incident where 22 personnel were killed, are contributing to the focus on this theory.
Despite recent Maoist presence in the district, the police believe these groups are distinct. Efforts to extract information about a secret Maoist hideout in the jungle have been unsuccessful.
Aerial surveillance, initially employed around the Chapparam tribal settlement, has resumed after cadres escaped. Sleuths from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will interrogate the arrested ultras to gather insights into Maoist activities in these states.
Sources in the Tamil Nadu police indicate that Intelligence Special Wing sleuths will visit Wayanad in the coming days. The Maoist movement in Tamil Nadu has weakened in recent years due to strengthened special wings and police sealing jungle routes and dens used by Maoists.
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