Left-wing extremists of the Communist Party of India (CPI) (Maoist) suffered a big major jolt when Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli police gunned down five of its active armed members, including three women, near Dhanora of north Gadchiroli, bordering Chhattisgarh, on Sunday evening.
According to reports, the incident took place at Kosmi-Kisneli forest area around 4.30 pm. The deceased included three women members of the banned CPI (Maoist).
The district police informed that the red rebels, who were camping in Kosmi-Kisneli forest area, suddenly opened fire at a C-60 team, an elite anti-Naxalite squad of the district, which was conducting a combing operation in the forest region. The left-extremists, however, fled the spot after the jawans launched a retaliatory attack.
Later, the police recovered bodies of three female and two male activists of the CPI (Maoist) from the spot. They are yet to be identified. The police also seized a large number of arms and ammunition and Maoist literature from the area.
Bhausaheb Dhole, deputy superintendent of Gadchiroli police claimed that there were no casualties on the security side in what he described as the first major encounter of the year.
The district police have intensified anti-Maoist operations in a big way in the region in recent months. A search operation has also been launched in the area after the incident.
{{/usCountry}}The district police have intensified anti-Maoist operations in a big way in the region in recent months. A search operation has also been launched in the area after the incident.
{{/usCountry}}Sunday’s anti-Maoist operation is considered as one of the biggest operations against the rebels in the district this year.