In a significant anti-Naxal operation that spanned four days along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, seven Maoists were killed, including a top CPI (Maoist) leader from Telangana who carried a Rs.25 lakh reward on his head. The deceased leader, Loketi Chander Rao, alias Prabhakar, was the in-charge of the CPI (Maoist) Gadchiroli division committee, West Sub-Zonal Bureau and Company No 10.
Prabhakar, a native of Isrojivadi at Sadashiva Nagar in Kamareddy district, went underground in 1995 and was known by several aliases including Padakala Swamy, Ravi, and Prabhakar. Security forces recovered his body along with four male and three female cadres of the Maoist group.
Three AK-47 rifles, one self-loading rifle (SLR), and one .303 weapon were also recovered from the spot where the encounters took place. The identity of the remaining Maoists is yet to be ascertained.
The operation was initiated on Tuesday after intelligence reports suggested the presence of CPI (Maoist) Company-10 cadres in Abujhmad area under the limits of Maharashtra’s Bhamragad police sub-division.
Tragically, one C-60 commando, Deepak Chinna Madavi, who was injured during the operation, succumbed to his injuries at a government health facility in Bhamragad on Friday morning. His last rites are scheduled for Saturday at his native place.
The death of these Maoist leaders and commandos marks a significant blow to the CPI (Maoist) organization operating along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border. Further updates on this ongoing situation are expected as investigations continue.
