Four Maoists, including Mangi-Indravelli Area Committee secretary Vargeesh from Telangana, were killed in an ‘exchange of fire’ with the police in Kolamarka hillocks under Aheri tehsil of Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district early on Tuesday.
Police had credible intelligence that some members of the banned CPI (Maoist) Telangana State committee have crossed Pranahita river to carry out subversive activities ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, police sources said.
Joint teams of local police and the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) Quick Action Team personnel launched a search operation in Kolamarka forest area late on Monday. One of the team members came under fire from Maoists leading to an exchange of fire in Kolamarka hillocks in the early hours of the day, police added.
Gadchiroli SP Neelotpal told The Hindu: “In the wee hours of Tuesday, our teams came under indiscriminate fire from Naxalites, while conducting a search operation in the Kolamarka mountains near Repanpalli, which promoted a response from our men.”
Four bodies of Maoists were recovered and an AK-47, a carbine, two country-made pistols, Naxal literature, and other items were seized from the spot, the SP said.
Police identified the deceased as Divisional Committee Member Vargeesh, who is also secretary of Mangi Indravelli Area Committee and Member of Kumram Bheem Asifabad-Mancherial Divisional Committee; Magtu, Secretary of Sirpur-Chennur Area Committee from Telangana; and Platoon members Kursang Raju and Kudimetta Venkatesh, each with a bounty totalling ₹36 lakh.
(With input from Abhinay Deshpande)
