8 Maoists killed in “encounter” on inter-State border

Khammam: As many as eight Maoists, including five women, were killed in an alleged encounter in the forest area between Gollapalli village in Bijapur district of Chathishgarh and Charla mandal in Khammam district in Telangana State on Tuesday morning.
On the receipt of the information that some Maoists were sighted at 7 pm on Monday, Central forces, accompanied by police personnel of Telangana and Chattisgarh States conducted a combined operation in which several rounds of fire was exchanged between the extremists and the police resulting in the death of eight of Maoists. Three bodies were identified as those of Gottimukkala Ramesh alias Latchanna of Bapatla in Guntur district, Yousuf alias Soni of Doulatabad mandal of Medak district and Raju belonging to Chattisgarh State.
Police seized arms, including AK 47s, three 303 rifles and a huge amount of explosives from the spot.
CPI (Maoist) Telangana State secretary Haribhushan is believed to have been killed. Senior police officers of either State were unable to confirm whether Haribhushan was among the slain Maoists. The bodies of the eight slain Maoists were airlifted by helicopter to the Bhadrachalam government hospital and three bodies were identified.
Three helicopters of the Border Security Force were requisitioned at Bhadrachalam to airlift the bodies. One chopper landed at a school ground in the temple town to stock up on food packets to be supplied to the Greyhounds personnel still at the encounter site. Police are continuing combing operations in the area. (NSS)