E-Paper
Woman Maoist killed, four others nabbed in Andhra-Odisha border
The dead woman was identified as Meena (35) who was the wife of a top Maoist leader Udaya and a Maoist leader herself.
Greyhound commandoes of Andhra Pradesh police shot dead the wife a top Maoist leader Udaya in an encounter and captured four others including three women in the Panasaputta-Bejjangi section of Andhra-Odisha border early on Friday.
Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police RP Thakuru confirmed the encounter and said the police team seized a carbine from the site of the fire fight.
The dead woman was identified as Meena (35), a Maoist leader herself.
Visakhapatnam’s Superintendent of Police (Rural) P Rahul Deva told reporters that the encounter took place in a remote forest close to Balimela along the border with Odisha.
“Around 10 Maoists are said to have fled into the forests. Four teams from the AP Greyhounds surrounded the militants during combing operations.” Deva said.
Police suspect Udaya was present at the place where the encounter took place.
Meena, a tribal woman, was a member of Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) Special Zonal Committee of the Maoists. Her husband Udaya is from Telangana. After the encounter, Special Operations Group of the Odisha Police also joined the operations to tighten the noose against extremists.
Udaya is AOB secretary and second in command after RK alias Akkiraju Haragopal alias Ramakrishna, helmsman of the Moist movement in the region.
Friday’s strike by the Greyhounds is part of ongoing operations against Maoists which have been intensified after Maoists shot dead sitting MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma, both from the ruling TDP at Dumbriguda Mandal of Araku Valley in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam district late last month.
In a mistaken identity, the Odisha Director General of Police had declared Udaya dead along 30 others in Ramguda encounter reported in October, 2016. The police came to know later that he survived and managed to escape with critical injuries.
