The East Zone Team of the Commissioner's Task Force on Wednesday apprehended an ex-Maoist Rachakonda Laxmaiah on charges of trying to extort money from government officials.
According to the police, Laxmaiah joined the People's War Group in 1988 as a militant, and became a full-fledged worker in 1992. He also worked as a courier for Kiran Kumar and Jeevan Kumar @ Modem Bala Krishna, who were secretaries for the Nalgonda and Mahaboobnagar PWG District Committees, and later worked as a courier of Erram Reddy Santhosh Reddy @ Mahesh, secretary of the A P State Committee and Central Committee member.
Both Jeevan Kumar @ Modem Bala Krishna and Erram Reddy Santhosh Reddy @ Mahesh were killed in an encounter with the police. However, Laxmaiah came out of the PWG in 1997 and surrendered to the government.
He then started leading a normal life and got married. As he was unable to meet the expenditure of his family, he started making calls to several higher government officials in various districts, stating that he was the secretary of the Maoist unit of that particular district, and that they were going to organize a plenary or some other meeting and needed money for that.
Laxmaiah threatened the officials with dire consequences if they did not heed to his demands. Many officials parted with money, and some others remained silent, as he continued his attempts to extort money.
Recently, he contacted several RDOs and other officials in and out of Hyderabad city. While he was on these trials, he was arrested by the East Zone Team of the Commissioner's Task Force. Police also seized 4-empty letterheads of the Maoists, a mobile phone and a pocket notebook containing contact numbers of several government officials.
The arrested accused and the seized property were handed over to the Saidabad Police Station for further action. (INN)