The Kerala police on July,19, Sunday, raided multiple places, including flats, houses, and offices at Paroppady and Malaparamba areas in Kozhikode district based on a suspicion that a local resident was maintaining close contact with Maoist elements. The suspected person allegedly wrote extortion letters to three businessmen in Kozhikode, claiming to be a Maoist, officials said. The police said that the businessmen received letters demanding money last week. The letters sought money in order to avoid ‘revengeful action’.

"We received three complaints about anonymous letters sent to businessmen seeking money. The letters claimed that they were from Maoists. However, we zeroed in on a suspect who is absconding. We are searching for him. It is suspected that he had earlier done something similar to extort money," a senior police official told PTI. The investigation team is led by Superintendent of Police TP Sreejith. The team has zeroed in on the suspect from CCTV visuals.

The police found digital evidence of the suspect traveling to Wayanad, the neighbouring district of Kozhikode, from where the letters were allegedly sent to the businessmen in Kozhikode, the official said. However, The Hindu reported that the police suspect that two people may have also been involved in the incident, according to sources. The report adds that the police are also probing whether the letter was posted by a Kozhikode native from a post office in Wayanad.

Kerala’s Wayand district has alleged Maoist presence for many years now. The Kerala police has an elite anti-insurgency force called Thunderbolt and eight people alleged to be Maoists were gunned down by the force during the regime of the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government (2016-2021). The first killing under the government took place in November 2016. Kuruppuswamy Devaraj and Ajitha, two suspected Maoists, were killed in the Nilambur forests in Malappuram district at the time.

With PTI Inputs