Three Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire with police in the Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) on Sunday afternoon. While the bodies are yet to be identified, police have said that two of the dead persons were women and one was a man. A few more have suffered injuries, according to the Visakhapatanam District Police PRO.
According to the police, the incident took place near Gummirevulu village in Gudem Kotha Veedhi mandal, where firing began around 2 pm. The village falls under the Visakhapatnam agency area in the Eastern ghats, known for activities of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) outfit.
The exchange of fire on Sunday occurred when personnel of anti-Maoist force, Greyhounds, and the Special Protection Force (SPF) came face to face with the Maoists during combing operations, police said. The forces launched the joint operations against those who escaped in the forests.
Combing operations were being carried out in the region in view of the ongoing anniversary celebrations by the Communist Party of India (Maoist). Maoists had organised week-long celebrations to mark the 15th formation day of the outfit on September 21. The area has been on high-alert since Saturday, anticipating violence during the celebrations, police said. Rainfall continued in the region as the encounter was carried out, they added.
Following the incident, the bodies of three Maoists were recovered. Weapons have been recovered from the spot, including one SLR, one .303 rifle, one 12 bore gun, a landmine and 6 kit bags. There have been no reports of any casualties among the police.
The incident occurred a day before the first anniversary of the killing of then Andhra Pradesh MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao, and former MLA Siveri Soma in the same district. The two of them were gunned down by Maoists in Araku area on September 23, 2018.
Following the murder, the police released the names and pictures of three Maoists who took part in the attack. Police had said that the main accused in the killing was Aruna alias Venkataravi Chaitanya, a Special Zonal Committee Member (SZCM) of the Communist Party of India-Maoist, whose husband Pratapreddy Ramachandra Reddy alias Chalapati heads the AOB Special Zonal Committee Military Commission.
In February this year, Odisha police arrested Dambaru Khila for his alleged involvement in the murders of the two TDP legislators and handed him over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) who was probing the case.
Police have said that while firing has ceased, search for injured persons and more bodies continued into the evening.
IANS inputs