2 More Accused Arrested In 2019 Tiriya Encounter Case, Both Received Funds From CPI (Maoist): NIA

The National Investigation Agency arrested two more persons, identified as Kandula Sirisha and Duddu Prabhakar, in connection with the Tiriya Encounter Case, in which seven were killed.

The National Investigation Agency on Friday arrested two more persons, identified as Kandula Sirisha alias Sirisha alias Padmakka and Duddu Prabhakar alias Duddu alias Ajay, for their role in the Tiriya Encounter Case in which six Maoists and one civilian were killed. The NIA further stated that both of them were supposedly working for different frontal organisations of CPI (Maoist). Kandula, who was also a member of the frontal outfit, was previously active as an armed cadre (Tech Incharge) of CPI (Maoist). 

“Both Duddu and Sirisha supposedly received funds from CPI (Maoist) and used to work for different frontal outfits to spread the Maoist Ideology”, the NIA said, as quoted by news agency ANI. 

According to NIA investigations, both the arrested accused were associated and were working closely with top leaders of the CPI (Maoist) to encourage, promote and help in expanding the banned outfit’s anti-national activities. The NIA had also seized several incriminating materials related to the activities of CPI (Maoist) cadres earlier during search operations at the premises of the two accused. 

Notably, the agency arrested the two people after extensive investigations and search operations into the matter. With this, the total number of arrests in the Tiriya encounter case, which is also known as the RK Dairy case, stands at six, said the NIA.

The  NIA took over the case in 2021, along with multiple other matters related to Maoist conspiracies to carry out acts of terror and violence in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The Tiriya encounter took place in July 2019 when a joint team of the District Reserve Guard, Special Task Force, and the Central Reserve Police Force moved to the forest area near Tiriya in the Nagarnar police station area of Jagdalpur district in Chhattisgarh.

The officers and their teams had gone there after receiving input that a group of Maoist cadres had gathered intending to carry out a big incident on July 28, which is also observed as “Shaheed Diwas”, said the NIA, as reported by PTI. 

After the encounter, the security forces recovered a lot of arms and ammunition apart from several incriminating handwritten documents and literature from the site. The case was first registered on July 28, 2019, under various sections of the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. And the NIA re-registered it on March 18, 2021.