Hyderabad, December 19: A woman Maoist was killed in a fresh exchange of fire between the ultras and the police in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh early today, police said.
The exchange of fire that lasted for about ten minutes took place in a forest area near Cherrvuru village of Chintapalli mandal, where three Maoists including two women cadres were killed and a police officer was injured yesterday, they said.
The police who have intensified combing operation in the area bordering Orissa in search of the fleeing Maoists following yesterday’s encounter, spotted a group of ultras in the early hours of today, police said.
“They (Maoists) were asked to surrender but the rebels fired on the police party. The police returned the fire in which one woman cadre was killed,” Visakhapatnam District Superintendent of Police Vineet Brijlal told PTI over phone.
“The Maoists have dispersed following yesterday’s incident. Additional forces deployed in the area have launched extensive search operation,” the SP said adding “there were believed to be some more casualties on the part of Maoists, but it seems several (bodies) were washed away in the nearby canal.”
The bodies of the four Maoists killed over the last two days, including the woman killed today, were shifted to a hospital in Narsipatnam for conducting autopsy, he said.
After yesterday’s fierce exchange of fire, the police recovered a huge quantity of explosives from the scene and launched a hunt to nab around 60-70 Maoist cadres who fired upon the police party.
–Agencies