Hyderabad: In a major anti-Maoist operation, security forces gunned down 27 Maoists, including 10 women, in a fierce encounter that took place on Wednesday in the dense forests of Abujhmad, Narayanpur district, Chhattisgarh.
Chhattisgarh Director General of Police Arun Dev Gautam confirmed the operation, stating that a large cache of arms and explosives was recovered from the site. Following the encounter, all the bodies and seized materials were transported to the Narayanpur district headquarters for identification and further investigation.
Among the slain insurgents were two top Telugu-speaking Maoist leaders. One of them was Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraj, a Central Committee member and one of the most wanted Maoists in India, with a bounty of ₹1.5 crore. Rao hailed from Jiyyannapeta in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.
The second was Venkat Nageshwar Rao, also known as Yashanna or Jangu Naveen, a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee. He was carrying a reward of ₹25 lakh and was a native of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh.
This is one of the deadliest operations carried out in the region in recent times, dealing a significant blow to Maoist activity in the Dandakaranya region.