Kalpetta: The seven-hour shootout between Maoists and police that lasted till dawn was mainly to thwart the former's efforts to retrieve the body of their leader C P Jaleel, police sources said.
The firing that began at the Upavan resort in Lakkidi near Vythiri Wednesday night lasted till Thursday dawn. The commandos of Kerala Thunderbolts team had shot down Jaleel in a 45-minute-long encounter that began around 9.30pm Wednesday. His accomplice pulled out after opening fire from an AK-47 rifle and it is suspected he has been injured as the security forces returned fire. As the police began the search for other members of the outfit, the remaining eight Maoists of the group, hiding in the forest nearby, opened fire at the commandos.
The police were quite certain that the Maoists would come to the resort at Vythiri to retrieve the body of Jaleel. So they disconnected the electric supply to the resort in advance and ventured into the forests for search operations. It was then the armed insurgents opened fire at the police. The shooting between both the parties lasted up to 4 am with the Maoist troops withdrawing before daybreak.
Extortion like northern counterparts
The Maoists broke into the Vythiri resort and demanded Rs 1.5 lakh from the staff, and advised them to continue the practice in the future. They began arguing with the resort staff who replied that they did not have a 'big sum' at hand. However, the staff managed to pool in Rs 10,000 from among themselves and handed over the cash to the ultras. The Maoists, however, were not ready to settle with too less an amount and asked the staff to take the remaining amount from a nearby ATM. The two resort staff who were set free to bring the cash from the ATM ran to the Vythiri police station, just 2 km away from the resort, and informed about the alarming situation. The police rushed to the spot in no time.
The whole extortion bid of the Maoists ran haywire owing to a slip up from the group to allow two resort staff to go out. In north India, the Maoists resort to extortion as a major source of income. The terror group is adopting similar measure in Kerala as well, police said. The police have recovered Rs 10,000, in cash that was given to the Maoists, from the resort premises and road side.
Jaleel's aide seriously injured?
It is suspected that the Maoist squad led by Jaleel were camping close to the dense forests of Sugandhagiri and Amba regions. Though there were claims that police had caught Jaleel's accomplice on Thursday, the cops are yet to confirm the reports. With severe injury on shoulder bone, it could be difficult for him to continue in the forest. The police believe that the other members of the group might have dispersed by now.
Relatives demand judicial probe
Manjeri: The family members of the slain Maoist leader have demanded a judicial probe into the incident. They have submitted a complaint before the Wayanad district collector in this regard, said C P Jishad, Jaleel's brother.
The relatives have called for a proper probe to ascertain whether Jaleel was murdered, or that he was killed at a different locality and then the body transferred to the current spot.
Jaleel's body was handed over to his relatives after autopsy at the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital. Jaleel was said to be a leader of the Kabani wing (dalam) of the Maoist group.
