Seven Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh encounter

Seven members of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh in the early hours of Friday.

According to information reaching Bhupalpally town, five women and two men Maoists were killed in the joint operation by the Chattisgarh police and Telangana's Greyhounds near Ipenta in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district . The police recovered one SLR (Self-Loading Rifle), one revolver, four SBBL (smooth-bore breech loading) guns, six rocket launchers, three grenades, 10 kitbags and four pairs of olive green dress.

The encounter occurred eight km inside Bijapur district on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border near Bhupalpally.

The Maoists have suffered major setback in recent times with series of encounters in Maharashtra and Chattisgarh. Last Sunday, over 35 Naxals were killed in a major encounter at Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.

The joint operations involving the police of Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra and central armed forces yielded substantial results for them as they succeeded in eliminating Maoists in large numbers.

Following the encounter, the CRPF and the police in Wazedu, Venkatapuram, Charla, Eturunagaram, Mangapet and other mandals in the forest bordering Telangana and Chattisgarh were put on high alert. Large numbers of CRPF personnel were seen moving all over in tribal hamlets and carrying out search operations.

Bhupalpally District Superintendent of Police R Bhaskaran confirmed that the encounter took place inside Chhattisgarh. However, in view of the incident, the police were put on high alert along the border villages along the river Godavari.

The police suspect that the naxals were trying to take revenge following the Gadchiroli encounter and was planning to hold a meeting in the forest area. On a tip off, the police of all the three states and CRPF personnel undertook massive combing operations in the forest bordering different states.