Amid the ongoing CPI (Maoist)’s Martyrs’ Week, the outlawed outfit suffered a blow in Bhadrachalam Agency as one of its armed cadre was killed in an “exchange of fire” with the police in Bodanalli forest area in Charla mandal, bordering Chhattisgarh, on Sunday morning.
The encounter took place around 8.15 a.m. in the forest area about 3 km from Bodanalli when a team of special party police personnel was engaged in a combing operation, police said.
An unidentified male Maoist was killed in the “exchange of fire” that ensued, police added.
Police suspect him to be a key Maoist cadre from Chhattisgarh’s south Bastar region.
A combing operation was launched in the forest area of the Agency mandal based on reliable information that Maoists of the Charla Local Organising Squad (LOS) and an action team were moving near Kurnapalli-Bodanalli area to commit offences in connection with the ongoing Maoist Martyrs’ Week, Superintendent of Police Sunil Dutt said.
The combing police parties spotted ten armed Maoists during the search operation at about 3 km east of Bodanalli on Sunday morning.
An exchange of fire took place between the police and the Maoists. During the subsequent search operation, the combing police parties recovered the body of a male Maoist aged around 23 years. One .303 rifle and two kit bags were recovered from the spot, the SP added.
Additional forces have been fanned out to track down the armed Maoists rebels, who retreated into the jungle after the encounter.
The local police shifted the body of the Maoist to the mortuary at the Government Area Hospital in Bhadrachalam town later in the day.
One held
Meanwhile, the Charla police have arrested a Chhattisgarh-based Maoist militia member, identified as Madivi Ramesh, 27, during a vehicle-checking drive at Danavaipeta in Charla mandal late late on Saturday afternoon.
The police said pamphlets relating to Maoist Martyrs' Week were recovered from his possession.
