Vigil has been mounted along the Pranahita river course in Telangana’s Mancherial district following Tuesday’s ‘exchange of fire’ in neighbouring Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra that left four Maoists, including two divisional committee members (DVCM) from Telangana, dead.
The outlawed CPI (Maoist) suffered a blow in north Telangana with the death of its two DVCMs identified as Vargeesh, Secretary of Mangi Indravelli Area Committee and Magtu, Secretary of Sirpur-Chennur Area Committee, in the ‘encounter’ that took place in the early hours of Tuesday in Gadchiroli district.
The two other deceased Maoists were identified as platoon members Kursang Raju and Kudimetta Venkatesh. The four deceased Maoists carried a collective cash reward of ₹36 lakh declared by the Maharashtra government on their heads.
The Gadchiroli police said that the exchange of fire took place when Maoists opened fire on a joint team of local police and the CRPF’s Quick Action Team personnel that was out on a search operation in Kolamarka hillocks under Aheri tahsil in the district early on Tuesday morning.
The bodies of the four Maoists and four weapons including an AK47 rifle were recovered from the spot after the cessation of the exchange of fire, police added.
The police claimed that the search operation was launched following credible intelligence reports that Maoists had crossed the Pranahita river to carry out subversive activities ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, drone-aided surveillance has been intensified along the riverine stretch of the Telangana-Maharashtra border by Telangana’s Mancherial district police to check the movement of Maoists as part of a multi-pronged security strategy to ensure peaceful conduct of the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana slated for May 13, 2024.
