Raipur: Four women Naxals were killed and a top rebel leader injured in a major gunbattle with security forces in the wee hours of Sunday in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, taking to 14 the number of Maoists gunned down in the worst-hit Bastar region in November.
Police said that besides two 12 bore guns and its 44 live rounds, a .303 rifle and it's four live rounds, Rs 19,000 cash, a naxal bag, solar plate, radio, naxal uniforms, food commodities and other Maoist related materials were recovered from the spot.
The operation was conducted jointly by Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Group from Dantewada district and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the forests of Gadiras Police Station area, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, S R P Kalluri, said.
Calling the operation a big success, Kalluri said security forces swung into action after they got information about presence of so-called 'Divisional Commander' rank cadre Aaytu along with a group of rebels in Gadiras area, which falls on the Sukma-Dantewada border.
Aaytu is the Divisional Committee member of Darbha Division of Maoists and also in-charge of of Malangir Area Committee, which has executed several deadly attacks in the region, including the 2013 deadly Jiram valley massacre, in which top Congress leaders were among 31 people killed.
"We received inputs about the presence of Aaytu last night, following which we mobilised our composite forces towards the region to nab him," the IG said.
While cordoning off the forests on top of the Nagalguda Pahad (hill) at around 5 AM, the security forces spotted the Naxals' hideout and started encircling the spot. Sensing their presence, some of the armed cadres opened indiscriminate firing on them, prompting them to retaliate, he said.
After the ensuing gunfight that lasted for about two hours, the ultras fled from the spot leaving behind their belongings, he added.
The IG said that Aaytu was shot from close quarters in the gunbattle, but his colleagues managed to drag him inside the jungle.
During a search of the spot after the encounter, bodies of four women Naxals clad in uniform, were recovered, he said.
The slain naxals were identified as Rame, Sanni, Mase and Pandy, all were active as members of Local Operation Squad (LOS) of Malangir area committee of Maoists, the IG said.
With this encounter, the number of Naxals who have been gunned down so far this month by the Bastar Police has reached 14, police said.
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