Telangana: Police to Use Ex-Maoists to Trace Hideouts
“For years, the Maoists have stored large caches of arms and ammunition in parts of Dandakaranya in Maharashtra and the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. Security forces are planning coordinated search operations to recover these weapon dumps.”
Hyderabad: Security forces from Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, with the assistance of Telangana police, are preparing to enlist surrendered Maoists to help identify top Maoist hideouts in the Dandakaranya region. Telangana intelligence units are playing a crucial role, as several central committee (CC) members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) hail from the state. A day after hundreds of Maoist cadres — including members of the Central and State Committees — surrendered in Telangana, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, senior police officials from the three states held an inter-state meeting to assess Left Wing Extremist (LWE) activity and plan future counter-insurgency measures.
During the meeting, officials learned that the Maoist organisation continues to function with 12 CC members, of whom eight are from Telangana. Around 72 underground cadres belonging to the state are still active with the banned outfit. In recent months, several Telangana state committee members of the Maoist party have surrendered and joined the mainstream. Their decision follows similar moves by CC members and hundreds of cadres who laid down arms in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
At the recent meeting, officials from the three states’ police and intelligence departments obtained detailed inputs from surrendered Maoist leaders regarding the outfit’s internal structure, safe zones and strategies. Sources said the surrendered members are likely to assist in locating key leaders, including top Maoist commander Hidma and Tippari Tirupati, a Telangana native.
“For years, the Maoists have stored large caches of arms and ammunition in parts of Dandakaranya in Maharashtra and the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. Security forces are planning coordinated search operations to recover these weapon dumps,” sources said. Officials have also decided to maintain close surveillance on surrendered cadres and cross-check intelligence gathered from them with ground-level informants. Based on this coordinated effort, security forces are expected to intensify anti-Maoist operations soon.