Bhubaneswar: Security forces in Odisha achieved a significant breakthrough in their anti-Maoist operations on Thursday, eliminating four extremists, including a senior Central Committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist), in an intense encounter in Kandhamal district.
The gun-battle took place in a forest in Chakapad police station area.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs from the Special Intelligence Wing (SIW), a joint operation, involving 23 teams, comprising 20 Special Operations Group (SOG) units, two CRPF teams and one BSF team, was launched in the Chakapad police station area of Kandhamal district and the Rambha forest range in the bordering areas of Ganjam district.
During the early morning operation on December 25, multiple exchanges of fire took place as SOG personnel engaged with the Maoists. Bodies of four Maoists–two men and two wom
en in uniform.–were later found following an extensive search of the area.
Security forces also recovered two INSAS rifles and one .303 rifle from the encounter site.
One of the slain Maoists has been identified as Ganesh Uike (69), a Central Committee Member also known by aliases Rupa, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamru and Pakka Hanumantu. A native of Pullemala village under Chendur Mandal in Nalgonda district of Telangana, he carried a bounty of Rs 1.1 crore on his head and was the chief of the banned outfit in Odisha.
The identities of the remaining three Maoists are yet to be established.
This came a day after two Maoist operatives, carrying Rs 23.65 lakh bounty, were killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces in Gumma forest area under Belghar police limits in the district. The deceased were identified as Bari alias Rakesh, an area committee member of Rayagada under Bansadhara-Ghumsar-Nagabali (BGN) division and a native of Sukma. The other was Amrit, who was with Supply Dalam and hailed from Bijapur. Bari carried a cash reward of Rs 22 lakh while there was reward of Rs 1.65 lakh on Amrit’s head.
Odisha Police stated that the operations highlight continued efforts to curb left-wing extremism and maintain peace in the region