Cops use drones to track down Maoists on the run in Telangana

ADILABAD:  Police personnel on the hunt for the six Maoists, who fled the ‘encounter’ scene on Saturday, are now using drones to track them down.

The Maoists who escaped police firing in Kadamba forest area are led by the outfit’s Kurambheem-Asifabad secretary and State committee member Mailerapu Adellu, aka Bhaskar. In fact, recently, the police had identified a group of Maoists crossing a river bordering Telangana and Chhattisgarh using drone cameras.

Officials are also monitoring footage of CCTVs installed in Kadamba forest, which were meant to capture tiger movement, so as to unearth clues about the escaped Maoists’ whereabouts.

They have also intensified combing operations with the help of Greyhounds and Special Police in Asifabad district, especially in the forest areas of Kadamba and Penchkalpet, and the banks of Pranahita, Penganga and Godavari rivers.

No one to claim body

The bodies of the two Maoists who were killed in the encounter on Saturday were kept in Sirpur Hospital. While Jugnak Badhi Rao’ body was handed over to his family, Chukkal’s body was claimed by none.

The police had informed the Chhattisgarh police about his death, but no one from his family claimed his body. Jugnak’s funeral was held on Sunday under police watch in Adilabad.

Those on hit-list asked to move to safe houses

Khammam: Based on inputs from intelligence agencies, the police department has asked persons, who are on the hit-list of Maoists, to leave their villages for a safe house for at least a week.

Security has been beefed up in all police stations located in Bhadrachalam’s agency areas. Kothagudem SP Sunil Dutt and Bhadrachalam ASP Rajesh Chandra are monitoring the situation