59 villagers snap ties with Maoists

Koraput/Bhawanipatna: Altogether 59 villagers, including 23 women, of Kotapalli village in Malkangiri district have withdrawn support from the Maoists. Police asked the villagers to cooperate with the administration in implementing welfare schemes during a programme in Kiang on Wednesday.
In the past two months, around 2,000 people from 25 villages under Mathili police limits have snapped ties with the Maoists.
Kalahandi police on Thursday arrested three persons for extorting money from a grocery shopkeeper by impersonating as Maoists. They were identified as Premlal Chandi, 28, Parikhita Behera, 36, and Bhawani Jani, 25. "They had demanded Rs 5 lakh from Arjun Sahu, 51, of Gobra village. We tracked the phone calls and nabbed them," said SDPO (Bhawanipatna) Biranchi Narayan Dehuri.