Police arrests Maoist leader Sodi Pojja

Paderu (ASR Dist): Yetapaka police have arrested Sodi Pojja, also known as Lalith, an Area Committee Member (ACM) of the Kistaram Area Committee, Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), CPI (Maoist).

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Superintendent of Police Amit Bardar said the arrest took place in the forest area near Cheruvugumpu village of Vissapuram panchayat in Yetapaka mandal of Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district. The case is currently under investigation. Sodi Pojja, a 24-year-old from Sukma district, Chhattisgarh, joined the Maoist ranks in 2010 at the age of 14. Over the years, he was promoted through various roles, receiving military training and participating in several encounters with security forces.

He sustained a bullet injury in an encounter in 2019 and continued working with the Maoists until his arrest. The police, along with CRPF forces, launched a combing operation based on prior intelligence and apprehended Sodi Pojja while he was allegedly carrying explosive materials to target security forces. Seized items included a grenade and Maoist pamphlets. Additional SP (Ops), Rampachodavaram Jagadeesh Adahalli, and other officials were present during the operation.