4 'supporters' of Naxalites held in Chhattisgarh; 12 walkie-talkies, other supplies seized

Police have arrested four "supporters" of Naxalites from Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district and recovered from them 12 walkie-talkies, some Naxal uniforms, and other items which were to be supplied to the cadres, officials said on Wednesday.

After the arrest on Tuesday, the accused told the police that they used to work for Naxalites and attend their meetings. They would also extort money from traders and contractors and hand it over to Naxalites and spread their ideology in rural areas, an official said.

The accused also delivered ration, daily use material and other essential items to Naxal cadres, he said.

The arrested persons also told the police that they "purchase walkie-talkies through online platform Flipkart and other essential items and send them to Naxalites," a police release said.

A joint team of Dhamtari and Gariaband police launched a search operation on Tuesday following a tip-off that some goods were brought by locals for supplying to Naxalites, an official said.

Based on the information, the police apprehended one of the accused, Tamradhwaj Sahu alias Rinku, from Bhothali village when he was on his way to deliver the essential items to Naxalites, he said.

The accused named his father Shivkumar Sahu, and two others - Rakesh Kashyap and Ishwarlal Netam - who were also nabbed.

The police seized 12 walkie-talkies, Naxal uniforms, literature, pamphlets, banners, mobile phones, a motorcycle and other items from them, the official said.

All the accused hailed from Dhamtari district, the police said.