22 Maoists Killed in Karregutta Encounter
The ongoing operation, confirmed by Bastar IG and CRPF IG, has led to the seizure of a large cache of arms and explosives from the site.
Warangal: Twentytwo Maoists were killed in an encounter that took place between the Maoists and security forces at the Karregutta hills located on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border in the early hours on Wednesday. Officials confirmed that combing operations were still ongoing in the densely-forested terrain and as a result the death toll could rise.
According to official sources, a joint task force comprising personnel from the DRG, COBRA, CRPF, STF, Bastar Fighters and the Chhattisgarh armed forces launched a large-scale anti-Maoist operation over the past 15 days in the Karregutta region.
The operation, being overseen by ADG Vivekanand Sinha and CRPF IG Rakesh Aggarwal has resulted in the seizure of a large cache of arms, ammunition and explosives.
The encounter began early Wednesday in the Usur block of Bijapur district where the Maoists had taken shelter. Intelligence inputs had indicated the presence of senior Maoist leaders including military platoon in-charge Madhavi Hidma, prompting an intensified search operation.
In the past two weeks alone four women Maoists have been killed with hundreds of Maoist hideouts and underground bunkers destroyed. On Tuesday night, an earlier gunfight resulted in the death of a woman Maoist from whom a .303 rifle was recovered.
Sources said the security forces have uncovered and defused nearly 200 IEDs during the Karregutta operation. Despite this, two security personnel were injured in separate IED explosions over the past two days and were airlifted to Bijapur hospital for treatment.
‘Operation Kagar’ aims to eliminate Maoist strongholds in the Telangana-Chhattisgarh forest belt. Officials revealed that thousands of security personnel have surrounded the Maoist-infested zones with search and surveillance aided by drones, signal towers and K9 units for detecting underground bunkers.
The encounter site is now firmly under the control of security forces, who have established forward base camps in areas like Dhobe Hills and Neelam Sarai, and are setting up another camp near Alubaka.
Authorities remain cautious, keeping a close watch on potential threats from hidden explosives or ambushes.