A red flag and a letter placed at the municipal office in Toopran
The arrested men were identified as Banda Madhu (23) and Chintakindi Sridhar (23). Medak SP DV Srinivasa Rao said around 1:30 am on the intervening night of Tuesday, a masked man entered Toopran police station, placed a red cloth carrying a letter on the reception table and left. Police revealed that Medaram incident had not generated the publicity Madhu had expected, following which he allegedly planned a similar act at Toopran.
The SP said a special team headed by Toopran DSP Narender Goud was formed to trace those behind the letters. “The investigation revealed that the main accused, Banda Madhu, staged the incident with the intention of gaining publicity on social media and increasing followers and views,” Srinivasa Rao said. Hyderabad: What appeared to be a late-night Maoist warning at Toopran police station and municipal office turned out to be a publicity stunt aimed at generating social media views and followers, with police arresting two youths from Nagulapalli in connection with the incident. Police seized a motorcycle and two mobile phones from them. Another person was waiting outside on a motorcycle. A similar letter and red cloth were placed at the municipal office around the same time. Police are continuing the investigation into the incident and examining the digital material recovered from the accused.
The contents condemned the recent death sentences awarded to 10 convicted Maoists by a special NIA court in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, in the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack case and warned of an intensified campaign against executions.
The letters were purportedly issued in the name of Maoists and carried the names “Alexendar Apth” and “Ganapathi Anna”, along with sickle and hammer symbols.