Three naxalites killed in encounter with police in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli

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Three Naxalites, including two women, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district on Monday, authorities said. According to Superintendent of Police Neelotpal, intelligence sources indicate that members of the Naxalites' Perimili Dalam were plotting subversive actions in a forest near Katrangatta hamlet in Bhamragad taluka during their ongoing Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC), reported PTI.

According to the report, responding to the intelligence, two units of C-60 commandos, the Gadchiroli police's specialised combat wing, were dispatched to conduct a search operation in the region.

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During the search, the Naxalites fired indiscriminately on the teams. In response, the C-60 crew retaliated, sparking a furious exchange of gunfire.

Following the cease-fire, the bodies of one male and two female Naxalites were found at the encounter site. Among them was Vasu, the Perimili Dalam's in-charge and leader, the report added.

Additionally, security authorities recovered an AK-47 weapon, a carbine, an INSAS rifle, Naxal literature, and other items from the site.

The anti-Naxal operation is still ongoing in the area, as Naxalites normally increase their activity during the TCOC season from March to June, hoping to build their ranks and launch large attacks on security troops because of limited forest cover, the PTI report further stated.

Meanwhile, in another incident, the Maharashtra Police apprehended a known Maoist, Dilip Motiram Pendam, 34, who was wanted for Rs 1.5 lakh. Pendam was caught in the Bhamragad district while suspiciously roaming around villages and woodlands.

Pendam is accused of various crimes, including planting a deadly claymore mine and two pressure cooker bombs in Nelgunda-Gongwada and Laheri in March 2023. According to the IANS report, these crimes were carried out to attack security forces members and steal their guns and ammunition.

According to the investigation, Pendam is suspected of supporting other hardcore Maoist forces in the region by arranging logistics, rationing supplies, and distributing propaganda literature to locals.

Since January 2022, Gadchiroli police have apprehended 78 Maoists, including several women. They have forced other rebels to surrender their weapons and join the national and social mainstream, according to the article.