5 suspected Naxals held for extortion

Rapaka Sriramulu (41), P Chandrapal (41), Raju (20), Yakanna (20), and Rapaka Yakanna (37), all from Andhra Pradesh, called B V Srinivasa Reddy, the managing director, on his cellphone between April 14 and April 21. They threatened to kill him if he failed to pay up the huge unspecified sum of money demanded by them.

The District Crime Investigation Bureau officials arrested all the five from a guesthouse at Tirupati, Superintendent of Police D R Chandragupta told reporters at a press meet here on Friday.

Five cellphones and as many ATM cards, sixty-four blank cheques and a car were seized from the arrested. Prime accused Rapaka Sriramulu has about a dozen extortion cases against him, the SP said.