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Four hardcore Maoists were neutralised in an intense exchange of fire with Gadchiroli Police and CRPF personnel near the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border on Friday morning, following a targeted anti-Naxal operation launched based on credible intelligence.
According to the release, the operation, led by Additional SP Ramesh, involved 12 C60 commando teams, comprising around 300 personnel, and a CRPF unit. The operation was initiated on Thursday at noon from Kawande and Nelgunda, moving towards the Indravati riverbank near the recently opened Forward Operating Base (FOB) Kawande, despite heavy rainfall in the area. On Friday morning, while laying a cordon and searching the riverbank, Maoists opened indiscriminate fire on the C60 commandos, prompting effective retaliation. The heavy exchange of fire lasted nearly two hours. A subsequent area search led to the recovery of four Maoist bodies, one automatic Self Loading Rifle, two .303 rifles, and a Bharmar. Additionally, walkie-talkies, camping materials, and Naxal literature were seized from the spot. Anti-Naxal operations and area searches are ongoing to locate remaining Maoists. Earlier on May 21, in a major blow to the Maoist insurgency, security forces in Chhattisgarh killed 27 Naxals, including CPI-Maoist General Secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, during a massive joint operation in the Abujmarh forests of Narayanpur district. The Inspector General (IG) of Bastar Range in Chhattisgarh, P Sundarraj, on Wednesday said that the joint operation that killed 27 naxals, including CPI-M General Secretary Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, was carried out by District Reserve Guard (DRG) teams from Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, and Kondagaon. Sundarraj further added that the encounter took place in the Abujmarh area, a known Naxal stronghold, following intelligence inputs about the presence of senior Maoist leaders. He said that AK-47 rifles, SLR-INSAS carbines, and other arms and ammunition in heavy numbers were recovered. One DRG jawan was martyred and several others were injured in the operation, which also led to the recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition. (ANI)
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