The CEO of Hyderabad-based infrastructure company Lekcon Infra Private Limited and seven employees were arrested on Friday while they were en route to supplying 50 kg of explosives to Maoists at the Andhra-Odisha border (AOB).
Police said the accused were transporting the explosives from Hyderabad in CEO A. Bhupal’s SUV and were apprehended by the police at Potrel village near Balimela on the AOB.
Lekcon is working on projects worth rs 291 crore in the Maoist-affected areas of Odisha and Jharkhand and is owned by L. Purushotam Naidu of the city.
Malkangiri superintendent of police Akhileswar Singh said, “We had information that they had supplied explosives to Maoists 15 days back. We kept a tab on their movements and got to know they would be deli-vering on Friday. We arrested eight of them including the CEO of Lekcon, Mr Bhupal, at the crusher unit. Four of them are absconding. The explosives, around 50-60 kg, were kept in the SUV. There were 35 differe-nt types of material including explosive powder, mobi-le phones, batteries and Ma-oist literature with them.”
“There were international quality-printed books which were translated into Telugu. We will also probe the role of other persons in the company,” he said.
“The explosive substan-ces are meant for making improvised explosive devi-ces (IEDs) and they were meant for the Chitrakonda dalam of Maoists. There we-re no firearms with them,” the officer said. Mr Singh added that two of the others who were arrested were id-entified as Karunakar Red-dy and Sudhakar Reddy.
The Orkel police of Malkangiri district has booked a case under the Explosive Substances Act against the accused.
When contacted, Lekcon HR manager Nirupama said, “No top executive is available in the office.”
The firm based in Narsi-ngi with a turnover of Rs 75 crore, was founded in 2009 and showed quick growth with business in infrastructure projects and is working towards mining, power and residential projects.