At least 12 Maoists were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Jayashankar Bhupalapally district of Telangana near the Chhattisgarh border during the early hours of Friday. A constable was also killed in the gunfight.
Bodies of the slain naxals have been shifted to the government hospital at Bhadarachalam in Kothagudem. Some top leaders of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) including the banned outfit's Telangana Secretary Haribhushan alias Jagan were suspected to be among the slain Maoists. The dead include six women cadre of the outfit. A cache of weapons, including two AK47, was recovered from the encounter site
The officer killed was identified as Greyhound constable Sushil Kumar belonging to Vikarabad of Telangana district. Three officers were also injured in the gunfight.
A joint team of elite anti-Naxal Greyhounds and police force of Telangana and Chhattisgarh was conducting combing operations in the areas when the encounter occurred. The security personnel surrounded the guerrillas and asked them to surrender. However, the Maoists opened fire, forcing the police to retaliate.
During last few weeks, there were reports about the presence of Maoists in the old Warangal and Khammam districts.
In December last year, eight Maoists of Chandrapulla Reddy Poru Bata, a splinter group of old People's War, were gunned down by police in Bhadradri Kothagudem district. This was the first major incident since formation of Telangana State in 2014.
With inputs from agencies