Rampachodavaram ASP (Operations) K.V. Maheswara Reddy and CRPF official at a press conference in Chintoor in Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Sodi Baman, a 23-year-old Gutti Koya Section Commander of a platoon of the banned Communist Party of India (CPI-Maoist), who was involved in various attacks on paramilitary forces and killing civilians on Andhra-Chhattisgarh State over the past decade was arrested by the Chintoor police in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district on July 6.
Mr. Baman has been active along the forest covers of Sabari and Sileru rivers on the tri-State borders of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Mr. Baman is the Commander of the 4th platoon’s B Section.
Speaking to newsmen at a press conference here on Saturday, Rampachodavaram ASP (Operations) K.V. Maheswara Reddy has said; “Sodi Baman is involved in 24 offences, in which 86 CRPF jawans were killed in the attacks on the security forces and exchange of fire in the Chhattisgarh State. A native of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh State, Mr. Baman belongs to Gutti Koya tribe and joined the CPI-Maoist in 2014”. He was 14 when he joined the CPI-Maoist.
“Mr. Baman, and another Maoist sympathiser, Jaddi Nageswara Rao (Koya Dora tribe) of Chintoor Mandal, have been arrested while the duo was planning to plant a land mine on the outskirts of Pega panchayat in ASR district on Andhra-Chhattisgarh State border to target the security forces. The duo was spotted and arrested by the security forces during the combing operation, led by the State police and CRPF Jawans”, said ASP Mr. Maheswara Reddy.
The police have seized one pressure cooker bomb, two grenades, cordex wire, iron pieces, electric wire and a battery from the duo.
Civilian Killings
Mr. Baman has been involved in the killing of four civilians in the ASR district in 2017, 2021 and 2023. In 2021 alone, he has allegedly killed two civilians branding them as police informers. Three of the victims belonged to Chintoor Mandal and another one belongs to Yetapaka area.
Attacks on Jawans
Until 2024, Mr. Baman was involved in the six major attacks on the security forces in the Chaattisgarh State.
In March, 2017, Mr. Baman was involved in the attack on the security forces under Bejji police limits, in which 12 CRPF Jawans were killed. A month later, he was also involved in the Chintaguppa attack, in which 25 CRPF personnel were killed. This was the biggest operation by Mr. Baman. In 2020, he was involved in an exchange of fire between the Maoists and security forces in Chintaguppa, in which 17 CRPF Jawans were killed.
In the attack at Terram in 2022, Mr. Baman was involved in the killing of 23 CRPF jawans in an ambush against the security forces. His last case was in January 2024, in which two CRPF jawans were eliminated in an exchange of fire under Jegurugonda limits in Chhattisgarh State. EOM