In a significant development in the anti-Naxal campaign in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, two Maoists, Hunga alias Guttum Sodi and Joga Kudami, have each been sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000. The duo, residents of Pordem village in Sukma district, were apprehended on May 20, 2024, by a police team led by Assistant Sub-Inspector Udaybhan Rathiya.
The arrest took place when the police team, returning from security duty on the Keshapara-Potali route, noticed the two individuals behaving suspiciously near a gravel pit close to the construction site. Upon interrogation, both confessed to being active members of a banned Naxalite organization. Hunga alias Guttum Sodi was found in possession of a tiffin bomb, detonators, and electric wire, while Joga Kudami had a cell phone, bombs, firecrackers, and Naxalite posters.
Following the arrest, a case was registered under various acts, and the accused were produced before the court. The trial, held under the NIA Act, concluded with the court convicting them under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. Each Maoist was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine, with an additional six months of simple imprisonment in case of defaulting on the fine.
