SALEM: The Salem District Police launched a massive hunt for armed intruders into the Shevaroy Hills on Thursday morning, based on a credible tip-off.This is the first time that such a search operation against an armed group has been launched in the Shevaroy Hills, though the neighbouring Dharmapuri district has witnessed several anti-Naxal operations in the past. Shiva, a suspected leader of the regrouped People’s War Group, was shot dead in 2002 in an operation targeting an alleged training camp in the neighbouring Uthangarai taluk.Thursday’s search was confined to the Thottimadavu reserve forest, which is located almost four km from the Kuppanur forest check-post. Proximity to Uthangarai via the Manjavadi pass had fuelled suspicion of a possible Naxal regrouping and setting up of a secret training camp.Highly placed police sources claimed of an eyewitness account on the spotting of a group of seven men carrying firearms and metal weapons at Thottimadavu, falling in the North Range of Shevaroy Hills in the Manjavadi reserve forests. The eyewitness is also said to have claimed that the men disappeared into the forest and later the sound of firing was heard.Though the date and time of the alleged intrusion was not revealed, the police said the alert was received by a top police official on Thursday morning. In the meantime, another source gave a similar report. Appusamy, a beat forester at Veeranam, had alerted the forest department after he personally spotted the intruders and also got to know about the presence of strangers from some cattle grazers, police sources said. It was also informed that tribal villager Ramar had even seen them putting up tents in the forest. “As the information seemed credible, Salem Superintendent of Police Baskaran ordered the immediate launch of a massive search. Soon, a big team headed by Additional Superintendent of Police I Easwaran, Deputy Superintendents of Police Manoharan (Valapadi), Tamilselvan (Salem Rural), Bakthavachalam (Salem District Police Armed Reserve wing), Inspectors Suresh Kumar (Salem Steel Plant), P K Salim (Yercaud), Gunasekaran (Attayampatti) and 50 armed reserve police personnel and 40 policemen drawn from various police stations in the district launched a search operation around 11 am today,” the police sources said. The team was split into five groups for the search operations. Forest department staff accompanied them, they added.Though the search continued till 5 pm, no material evidence of any intrusion could be found, the police claimed. Yercaud Inspector P K Selvam said the whole alert seemed to be hoax. However, Special Branch Inspector Selvaraj said the police would not lower their guard and would continue to keep high vigil for another week.
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