Six held in raids at Maoist hideout

Six Maoists were arrested after a contingent of over 100 Chhattisgarh policemen raided a rebel hideout in Bastar district Saturday, police said.

Six Maoists were arrested after a contingent of over 100 Chhattisgarh policemen raided a rebel hideout in Bastar district Saturday, police said.

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The raid was carried out by the District Force and the Special Task Force on specific intelligence inputs at Mardum forested locality, over 300 km south of Raipur.

Police say some three dozen rebels were present at the site. Six rebels were caught with arms while others managed to escape.

Those arrested are believed to be involved in several attacks on police and civilians in Bastar region since June 2005.

The outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has a strong base in the interiors of the 40,000 sq km mineral-rich Bastar region, made up of the tribal-dominated Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Bastar and Kanker districts.