KALPETTA: A search has been intensified for three Maoists who escaped during an encounter with the police in the Chapparam Colony of Thavinhal, Wayanad. Meanwhile, two arrested Maoists were produced in the court and taken into custody by the police for five days. The arrested Maoists are Chandru (36), a native of Tamil Nadu, and Unnimaya (31), a native of Karnataka. A woman named Sundari, another woman and a man who were in the group escaped into the forest. An AK 47, an INSAS and two countrymade guns were also seized from the arrested persons.

The other night, the police clashed with the Maoists who came to the house of Aneesh living in the colony. The police surrounded the house following a tip-off that a five-member Maoist group had arrived at the colony. Despite being asked to surrender, the Maoists opened fire on the police. Following this, the police opened fire at the Maoists. After some time, Chandru and Unnimaya surrendered before the police. Meanwhile, three others escaped. The arrested raised slogans when they were produced in court.

Family members escaped by entering bathroom
There were five members in Aneesh's family, including a two-and-a-half-year-old child. During the firing, the police asked the family members to sit on the ground. Many of them escaped by sitting in the bathroom.