Police recovered a rifle and some explosives hidden by Naxalites in a forest area in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district. An official said on Sunday the weapons were kept there with the intention of harming security personnel in the near future. After receiving a tip-off, a team comprising Gyarapatti police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel carried out a joint anti-Naxal operation on Friday in the Tipagarh forest which comes under Dhanora taluka. The Gadchiroli's Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal said he has intensified the ongoing anti-Naxal operation in the region following the event.
SP’s office said the team recovered a 12-bore rifle, two local explosives, a banner, some pairs of shoes, and other materials from the site, as reported by news agency PTI. Officials further said all these were kept hidden underground in order to execute their plans to “harm the police.”
In a separate incident that took place on April 1, Saturday, a fierce gunfight broke out between security personnel and Naxals at a forest in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. Around, five jawans were killed while a few others were left injured.
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According to media reports, the exchange of fire with Naxals in jungles near Tarrem continued for about three hours during the incident. Chhattisgarh DGP DM Awasthi reportedly said that personnel belonging to the CRPF's elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action Unit (CoBRA), the District Reserve Guard (DRG), and the Special Task Force (STF) were involved in the operation.
Besides security personnel, some Maoists are also suspected to have been killed during the gunfight.
News agency ANI quoted DIG (Naxal Operations) OP Pal saying, "Five jawans died and 12 others injured in the 3-hour-long encounter with Naxals at Sukma-Bijapur border in Sukma district. The body of a woman Naxal has been found at the encounter site."