Initial reports suggest the blast occurred in a forest area near Venkatapur during police combing operations
WARANGAL: In a major escalation of anti-Maoist operations, eight Maoists, including two top leaders, are suspected to have been killed in an encounter near Lankapalli forest, close to Wazedu mandal along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border on Thursday. The operation also claimed the lives of five Greyhounds commandos following a landmine blast triggered by Maoists.
The encounter occurred under the jurisdiction of the Usur police station in Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh. Sources indicated that among the dead Maoists were Pulluri Prasad Rao alias Chandranna, a Maoist central committee member and Bandi Prakash, a senior member of the special zonal committee. Police were yet to officially confirm their identities.
The incident took place during a combing operation under Operation Karregutta, which has been ongoing for over two weeks. As the operation intensified, Maoists ambushed the patrol team by detonating a landmine near a suspected shelter zone. Three Greyhounds commandos died instantly in the blast.
Telangana DGP Dr Jitender and Greyhounds ADG M. Stephen Raveendra visited the MGM Hospital in Warangal, where the bodies of the Greyhounds personnel were taken, and paid tributes to the martyred personnel. In a statement, Dr Jitender said the joint patrol team comprising Mulugu police and Greyhounds launched an intensive night-long search on May 7 across forest zones under Venkatapuram, Wazedu and Perur police station limits to detect and defuse IEDs and landmines planted by Maoists.
Around 6 am on May 8, a group of 35–40 armed Maoists, including women, opened fire and triggered a series of landmines, leading to a fierce gun battle. The three commandos killed in action were identified as V. Sridhar, T. Sandeep and N. Pawan Kalyan. Their bodies were later handed over to their families.
Another commando, AAC Ch. Ranadheer (RSI), suffered bullet injuries and is his condition is stable. He has been shifted to Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
The use of landmines has raised serious concern among security forces, prompting heightened surveillance of Maoist activity. While police have not yet issued a comprehensive statement, intelligence sources believe the attack was premeditated, targeting a site believed to host senior Maoist leadership.
