Asifabad: 16 Maoists nabbed during combing operations

Sixteen Maoists, including nine women, were apprehended during a combing operation by Kumram Bheem Asifabad police in Sirpur (U) mandal. Acting on intelligence inputs, police intercepted the group, which had reportedly entered the district to surrender.

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: As many as 16 banned Maoists were apprehended during a combing operation conducted by the district police in the forests of Sirpur (U) mandal on Monday night.

With the Central and State governments recently focusing special attention on Maoists in the Chhattisgarh border region, the Maoists are reportedly shifting their bases. Acting on specific inputs from the Intelligence wing, a special party led by ASP S Chittaranjan combed the forests. The police nabbed the Maoists, including nine women and seven men, belonging to various cadres.

---

The Maoists entered the district to surrender before the police by crossing the Pranahita river from Maharashtra. They reportedly took shelter in Sirpur (U) mandal centre before they were apprehended.

They were shifted to the office of the Director General of Police (DGP) in Hyderabad, where they are likely to be produced before the press on Tuesday. The district, once a stronghold of prohibited Maoists, saw the arrest of a large number of Maoists for the first time in recent times.