A woman Maoist returned to her village in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district after her colleagues reportedly asked her to leave when she showed flu-like symptoms on Wednesday, police said on Thursday.
The police have sent the woman to a quarantine centre where she will be interrogated.
“We have been informed that a woman about the presence of Maoist, Sumitra Chepa (32), in the forest near in Modakpal and a team of force was sent there on Wednesday. Police have found her and during interrogation, Chepa said she was suffering from fever, cold and cough following which her colleagues asked her to leave the group suspecting coronavirus,” said Bastar’s Inspector General of Police, Sunderaj P.
The IGP said that Chepa was an active member of the Maoists’ PLGA battalion No. 1, which is headed by Madvi Hidma. She has been with the CPI (Maoist) for a decade.
“She was inducted in 2010 and was working with Hidma and hence she is very important for us,” said Sunderaj.
The IGP said that Chepa also claimed that several cadres were suffering from fever and cold and most of them were being asked to leave the camps.
“We have sent her in quarantine and her sample will be sent for a coronavirus test,” the officer said.
Police have also appealed to villagers in the area to inform them if any Maoist return to their village due to similar reasons so that their health examination can be done and preventive measures to contain the spread of the virus can be taken.
