Vigil has been stepped up at Kinnakorai, Geddhai, Hiriyaseegai, Upper Bhavani and Manjoor and the surroundings along the Kerala border in the Nilgiris following reports of Maoist activity in some of the tribal villages in the Kerala forests.
This comes in the wake of intensified combing operations across the border in Kerala. Enquiries made by The Hindu revealed that security personnel in Kerala had been combing Karikankunnu, Varadimalai, Mel Thottam and Mukkoli near Attapadi in search of nine suspected Maoists reportedly engaged in propaganda among tribals for the past three months.
A case was registered at the Attapadi police station.
Propaganda materials such as handbills and posters had surfaced in Kerala.
The tribal people were warned not to fall prey to the Maoists. Since it is feared that the intensified combing operations in Kerala would drive the extremists to the Nilgiris forests, Superintendent of Police T. Senthilkumar instructed the Manjoor police to mount a round-the-clock vigil.
