Bastar: Intel chief among 4 Maoists killed in operation

Four Naxals, including the intelligence chief of Bhairamgarh area committee of outlawed CPI (Maoist), were on Friday gunned down in an encounter with the tribal battalion of Chhattisgarh police, christened as district reserve group, in the forested terrain of Hullur in south Bastar district of Bijapur in the state.

The deceased Maoists included two women cadres. “The intelligence bureau has sounded an alert on the plan by the Maoists to launch a major attack in the region. Acting on the IB tip off, a joint team of DRG and district force launched a search operation. Maoists opened fire on the search party when the latter was closing in on their camp established near the forested village of Hullur. A fierce gun battle ensued between them in which four insurgents were killed,” Bijapur district additional superintendent of police Indira Kalyan Elesele told this newspaper. One of the deceased has been identified as Rainu, intelligence chief of Bhairamgarh area committee of CPI (Maoist), he added.

While two other deceased have been identified as Sundari, member of local Operation Squad, and Paiku, gun man of Rainu, identity of another deceased woman cadre is yet to be ascertained.