Naxal leaders brought to Karnataka from Kerala jail; interrogated in Belthangady cases

Mangaluru: Two alleged Naxal leaders were produced before a Belthangady court on Monday by Karnataka police after being brought from a Kerala prison on a body warrant in connection with three cases related to Naxal activity.

The accused—B G Krishnamurthy from Sringeri and Savitri from Kalasa in Chikkamagaluru district—were arrested by Kerala police on November 8, 2021, and have been lodged in Thrissur jail since then.

According to the police, Krishnamurthy, a former secretary of the Western Ghats Special Committee, faces 53 cases across Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, while Savitri is under investigation in 22 cases.

The Belthangady police took the two into custody for two days for interrogation in connection with three local cases: the arson of vehicles in Venur during 2012–13, the display of pro-Naxal banners in Dharmasthala, and a case involving explosives recovered from Malavantige village.

The transfer was carried out under tight security, and the accused were handed over to a team led by Bantwal Deputy SP Vijay Prasad.

Security was provided by police units from Belthangady, Venur, Dharmasthala, and Punjalkatte.