After Panda, focus shifts to Naxal leader Nachika Linga

Following the arrest of Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda, the focus of the security forces seems to have shifted to Nachika Linga, President of Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh (CMAS), a naxal-backed tribal outfit in Koraput district of Odisha.

Nachika, the most wanted tribal leader for Odisha police, has been on the run evading arrest for his alleged involvement in several criminal cases, including murder, arson and dacoity since November 2009, Koraput Superintendent of Police Awinash Kumar said on Sunday.

‘Nachika remains on our wanted list and we are tracking his movements. On many occasions, we have come close to nabbing him but have been unable to do so as he moves around in a crowd. We have now formed a strategy to nab him which we cannot divulge at this stage,’ the SP said. ‘We appeal to him to surrender and return to mainstream. Or else, he should be ready to face police action,’ he  said.