The Kerala Police on Thursday confirmed that a Maoist was killed in an alleged encounter with the commandos of Thunderbolt, an elite unit of the police, late Wednesday at a private resort at Lakkidi in the district.
The police identified the deceased as C.P. Jaleel, 26, of Cherukupalli house at Pandikkad in Malappuram district.
Briefing mediapersons here on Thursday, Balram Kumar Upadhyay, Inspector General of Police, Kannur, said Jaleel and an unidentified Maoist came to the resort along the Kozhikode-Kollegal stretch of National Highway 766 around 7.45 p.m. with guns. They demanded money and provisions for 10 members of their group. While the resort staff began collecting money, a few among them informed the police of the development. The police, accompanied by the commandos, rushed to the spot around 9 p.m. On seeing the police, the duo tried to escape after shooting at them.
Gun battle
Meanwhile, the other members of the militant group, who were hiding in a nearby forest, and the police exchanged fire. Jaleel was killed reportedly in the retaliatory police firing. The wind shield of a police jeep was damaged in the encounter.
It is suspected that the Maoist who accompanied Jaleel also sustained injuries. Finally, the Maoists escaped to the nearby Lakkidi forest under the South Wayanad forest division.
The body of the youth was found near an artificial pond on the premises of the resort. A country-made rifle, headlight and a bag with cash were recovered. Cartridges used by the Maoists were also recovered from the resort premises. It would be inspected by ballistic experts to identify the weapons they used, he said.
Mr. Upadhyay said recurring incidence of Maoists presence in the northern districts, including Kozhikode, Kannur and Wayanad, had destroyed the tranquillity of villagers in the hill areas of the district, especially in tribal hamlets adjacent to forest. Their presence had also affected the tourism sector as many a time the targets of Maoist groups were the resorts in the district.
Mr. Upadhyay said there was no need for panic as all steps had been adopted by the police to curb the activities of Maoists.
The department had launched ‘Operation Anaconda’ in December to root out the activities of the Kabani dalam of the Maoist group in the region. Interstate meetings of top brasses of the police forces in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu are being held regularly. The police in the three States had intensified joint combing operations in strategic points, including in the Trijunction, Mr. Upadyay said.
The body was sent to Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, for postmortem after inquest.
