Maharashtra police arrests suspected Maoist couple carrying ₹10 lakh reward

Police have identified the two suspected Maoists as Madhukar Chinanna Kodape, 42, of Baswapur and Shamala Mangalu Punam (35) of Basaguda in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar

Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli police arrested two suspected Maoists– reportedly husband and wife– carrying a ₹10 lakh reward on their heads from Hyderabad on Monday, officials said.

Initial reports suggest that both suspected Maoists are a couple and left the movement in 2006 (Representative Photo)

Gadchiroli police have been tracking them for the past one year and ultimately were able to zero in on their location in Hyderabad on Monday morning, people familiar with the matter said.

Police have identified the two suspected Maoists as Madhukar Chinanna Kodape, 42, of Baswapur and Shamala Mangalu Punam (35) of Basaguda in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar.

Superintendent of police (SP), Gadchiroli, Neelotpal said that Madhukar joined as one of the members of Aheri Dalam in 2002 and later moved to Sironcha, bordering Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

After a few years, he was appointed commander of the Local Organisation Squad (LOS) in Jimalgatta and Sironcha. There are 25 serious offences registered against him at various police stations in Gadchiroli district including encounters, murders and arsons, the SP said. Maharashtra government had announced a reward of ₹8 lakh on his head, police said.

Meanwhile, Shamala, a native of Bastar in Chhattisgarh, was working as a member of Aheri LOS and was involved in at least nine serious offences, including arson and murders. She has a ₹2 lakh reward on her head.

Initial reports suggest that both suspected Maoists are a couple and left the movement in 2006. They had constantly been changing places in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to avoid detection by security forces.