Four Naxals, including a self-styled military company member, who was allegedly involved in Tadmetla incident in which 76 troopers were killed and carrying a cash reward of Rs.1 lakh on his head, were arrested after a prolonged gunbattle in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, police said on Monday.
Those arrested were identified as Budta Gonde (26), Lakhmu Kadiyam (35), Sannu Lekam (28) and Lakshman Uike (25), who were allegedly handling the Maoist’s activities on national highway in south Bastar region, Bijapur Deputy Superintendent of Police Sukhnandan Rathore told PTI .
The cadres were nabbed from the restive forests under Bijapur police station limits on Sunday during a search operation following the face-off, he added.
While the joint party of CRPF and district police reached the forests between Kaika and Ghumra, about 10-15 armed rebels ambushed the police party and opened indiscriminate firing on them following which they retaliated, Mr. Rathore said.
Immediately after the gunfight, security forces launched a search in the region during which four ultras were arrested, he said.
A 5-kg tiffin bomb, a couple of detonators, bags, Naxal uniforms, their literature, other ammunitions and commodities of daily use were recovered, he said.
According to the official, Gonde was a member of regional military company II of CPI (Maoist) and was carrying a cash reward of Rs.1 lakh on his head.
During interrogation, he admitted that he had joined the movement in 2009 and was involved in the deadly 2010 Tadmetla (now in Sukma district) attack in which 76 security personnel were killed in Dantewada district, Mr. Rathore said.
In a separate incident in the district, Semla Bheema — a sangham member of Maoist — was arrested during a joint search operation in Koraguda village forests on Sunday, the DSP added.
