Andhra University professor arrested for alleged Naxal links in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: The Visakhapatnam rural police have arrested an associate professor of Telugu at the Andhra University in Visakhapatnam and three others on the charge of supplying explosive materials to the Maoists. [caption id=“attachment_1791285” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] J Appa Rao, the varsity teacher, was arrested late last night here, said superintendent of police Koyya Praveen and additional superintendent of police Vishal Gunni on Thursday. Rao played a role in giving logistical support to the rebels, including procurement of detonators and ammonium nitrate, they said. The other three were identified as V Prasad (34), G Subbaraju (32) and K Jagadeesh Reddy. All the four were produced before the media on Thursday. Narsipatnam police intercepted a car on Wednesday and seized 500 electrical detonators, 100 ordinary detonators, 300 kg of ammonium nitrate and mobile phones while arresting V Prasad and G Subbaraju. Their interrogation led to the arrest of professor Rao here and K Jagadeesh Reddy in Kakinada on Wednesday night. According to police, they procured the explosive materials from Kathipadu in the East Godavari district. Rao (38) belongs to a tribal community and is a native of Korrapalle area under G Madugula mandal. He has been working at Andhra University since 2007. PTI