Adilabad, July 02: In a major blow to the Maoists, their top leader and spokesperson Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad was gunned down by state’s elite anti-Naxal force Greyhounds near Adilabad early Friday.
Initial reports suggest that a fierce encounter took place between the forces and the Maoists near Jogapur in Adilabad district; about 300 km from here, following which Rajkumar was cornered and neutralised.
Another Maoist guerrilla as Chanderan was also killed. Police recovered an AK-47, a 9mm pistol and two kit bags from the scene of the gunfight.
Azad, who carried a reward of Rs12 lakh on his head, was a member of the central committee of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist). Hailing from Krishna district, he was associated with the Maoist movement for four decades.
Following the killing of Azad, security agencies have sounded a high alert in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Chhatttisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Azad was gunned down by police two days after Maoists killed 27 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Chhattisgarh.
-IANS