Gadchiroli, May 12 – In a major anti-Naxal operation near the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, police on Monday recovered weapons, ammunition, and Maoist materials following a two-hour-long encounter with Maoists in Gadchiroli district.
According to the Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police's office, the gunfight unfolded in three different locations after the Maharashtra Police's C-60 commando unit launched a search operation based on specific intelligence inputs.
Intelligence Inputs Prompt C-60 Operation
Authorities received actionable intelligence on Sunday afternoon that the Bhamragad Dalam of Maoists had set up a camp near a newly constructed foot overbridge at Kawande, located along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border.Acting swiftly, a force of nearly 200 C-60 commandos, led by Additional SP M Rames, was mobilised to the area on Sunday evening. The C-60 unit is a specialised counter-insurgency wing trained to tackle Maoist threats in the region.
Exchange of Fire at Three Locations
The confrontation began on Monday morning when the commandos were combing the area and came under indiscriminate fire from Maoists. A fierce exchange of gunfire ensued, lasting approximately two hours across three different locations.After the gunfire ceased, the police recovered a cache of materials from the site, including:
- One automatic INSAS rifle
- One single-shot rifle
- A magazine and several live rounds
- Detonators and a radio
- Three 'pitthus' (backpacks typically used by Maoists)
- A large quantity of Maoist literature and personal belongings
Maoist Camp Dismantled
The police stated that the Maoist camp was destroyed in the operation. While no casualties have been officially confirmed, authorities suspect that some Maoists may have been injured or killed and possibly carried away by their comrades.The operation marks another significant step in the ongoing efforts to curb Maoist activities in the sensitive border regions of Gadchiroli.
