Four Maoists killed in encounter at Telangana-Chhattisgarh border

Warangal/Mulugu: In a joint operation by Chhattisgarh State police, CRPF and Telangana State police including the elite Greyhounds, three members of the outlawed CPI Maoists were killed in an encounter in the Karriguttalu forest area on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh State border in the wee hours of Tuesday, while a woman Maoist was killed in the border […]

Warangal/Mulugu: In a joint operation by Chhattisgarh State police, CRPF and Telangana State police including the elite Greyhounds, three members of the outlawed CPI Maoists were killed in an encounter in the Karriguttalu forest area on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh State border in the wee hours of Tuesday, while a woman Maoist was killed in the border area of Dantewada, Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.

Mulugu Superintendent of Police Dr Sangram Singh G Patil, in a press release, said, “There was an exchange of fire between Maoist formations and police parties in the early hours when police parties were in the Karriguttalu forest area. After the firing, a thorough combing and search operation was conducted by the police taking all due precautions. During the search, three bodies, including a woman, belonging to Maoist formations were recovered.”

The police also found one SLR, one INSAS rifle, one single bore weapon, 10-rocket launchers and other kit articles at the site, he said, adding that one Greyhounds jawan suffered injuries. He was first shifted to Warangal by an ambulance and then airlifted to Hyderabad for better treatment.

“On reliable information, it was learnt that a large gathering of CPI Maoist group (Telangana State Committee) was planning to abduct and kill prominent people (politicians, sarpanches and contractors) after abducting them from Telangana, Chhattisgarh border areas. Following this, the search operation was launched on Sunday in the bordering areas of Mulugu-Bijapur districts of Telangana and Chhattisgarh respectively,” Sangram Singh said.

Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range of Chhattisgarh, said the Greyhounds force and DRG/CRPF forces were dispatched from Bijapur district on January 17 after they received information about the presence of 40 to 50 armed Maoists of the Telangana State Committee including senior leader Sudhakar, DVCM, Venkatapuram ACM, in the border areas of Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

An encounter took place between the DRG team and Maoists in the forest hills of Marjum (Station Katekalyan) and Pratapgiri (Pana Tongpal) border area of Dantewada and Sukma, in which one woman Maoist was killed. She was identified as Munni, a member of the Area Committee. However, the police have not yet identified the slain Maoists of the Karriguttalu forest area on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh State border.