Hyderabad, January 22: A former Maoist courier who allegedly extorted money from government officials and businessmen has been arrested, police said today.
A Task Force apprehended Rachakonda Laxmaiah who along with his associates extorted anything from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh from government officials, contractors and businessmen in the guise of Maoists between 2003 and 2009, Commissioner’s Task Force, DCP, V B Kamalasan Reddy said.
Laxmaiah, a native of Nalgonda district, became involved in Naxal activities since 1988. He also distributed PWG brochures in Mahaboobnagar and Nalgonda districts and participated in underground activities before surrendering to Police in 1997, Reddy said.
“Laxmaiah initially roped in his associates to extort money and as differences arose between the gang members with regard to the sharing of extorted amounts, Laxmaiah started operating independently and extorted lakhs of rupees,” the DCP said.
–Agencies