A group of suspected Maoists, armed with sophisticated weapons, arrived at a private resort in this north Kerala district and took control of the manager's mobile phone to send a statement to the media regarding issues faced by estate workers.

The incident occurred at a resort in Makkimala under the jurisdiction of Thalappuzha police station at approximately 6.40 pm on Wednesday, police said.

The ultras, six in number, allegedly insisted on obtaining the mobile phone from the hotel staff, subsequently instructing him to WhatsApp their statement to a select group of journalists.

According to a police source, a total of 23 journalists throughout the state received the statement from the Kabani Area Committee of the CPI(Maoist). This included a PTI journalist who received the statement on Wednesday night.

"As per the information we received, all of them possessed sophisticated weapons, including AK-47s," a state intelligence official said.

While taking possession of the resort manager's mobile phone, the Maoists allegedly directed him to forward a copy of their press statement to the specified journalists whose contact details they provided.

The group did not issue any threats or create panic within the resort. They left the premises after successfully sending the message to journalists.

The statement was issued by a person claiming to be the spokesperson of the Kabani Area Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). The statement has called for a joint protest of workers for their rights.

A case has been registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Arms Act in connection with this incident, the intelligence official said.

Recently, there have been reports of suspected Maoist presence in various forest-fringe hamlets within this northern Kerala district.

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