Man posing as Naxal to frighten villagers in Tumakuru held

A 50-year-old man was arrested late on Tuesday after a probe spanning months into allegations that he was posing as a Naxal operative to frighten villagers near the Karnataka-Telangana border in Tumakuru district, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Kanakalabande Venkatesh, was reportedly found consuming chicken and alcohol in a semi-nude condition after 11pm. Police said his arrest and the preceding search, which involved over 150 police personnel, tied together probes into three separate cases, including a caste atrocity case arising from a land dispute, the discovery of an alleged country-made bomb placed at a farmer’s pump house and a poster put up in the name of “People’s War Dalam”.

Tumakuru SP K V Ashok said Venkatesh was absconding since February 15, when police began looking for him in connection with the atrocity case.

“He had been absconding since February 15 after the police launched a search for him in connection with the atrocity case. We are now verifying his possible involvement in other criminal activities as well,” Ashok said.

“He is currently facing three cases. One of them is an atrocity case in which he allegedly threatened a neighbouring farmer in connection with a land dispute. He is also facing a case relating to the planting of a country made bomb at the pump house of the same farmer. The third case concerns the pasting of a poster in the name of the People’s War Dalam,” the SP added.

Police said Venkatesh had allegedly threatened people in Kanakalabande and surrounding villages while claiming an association with Naxal organisations. Investigators are now checking whether that activity was connected to other incidents in the area.