Five Maoists dead, many injured in firefight near Vizag-Odisha border

Visakhapatnam: Five Maoists died, and few others escaped with injuries in an exchange of fire with security personnel inside the Darakonda reserve forest near Madimallu area of GK Veedhi Mandal in Vizag Agency on Sunday. The incident took place exactly a year after Maoists gunned down Araku Valley MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former TDP MLA Siveri Soma near Livitiput under Dumbriguda Mandal in Vizag Agency.

As the CPI (Maoist) is observing the 15th Foundation Day of the outfit from September 21, Vizag Rural intensified combing operations in the tribal pockets and along Andhra-Odisha border to flush out Maoists. The encounter site is just a few kilometres from the Odisha border.

A senior police officer mentioned that Greyhounds and Special Operation Group (SOG) commandos launched an operation on Sunday evening based on intelligence reports of the presence of a Maoist camp in the region. During the combing operations, the police noticed a group of Maoists and opened fire on them. The Maoists returned fire as well.

As per reports, five Maoists were killed in the firefight, and they are suspecting that some Maoists leaders, who were present at the fight, managed to escape from the spot. The police said that this was one of the biggest operations against Maoists in Vizag in the recent past. Sources said that the police recovered five bodies along with some weapons and ammunition from the encounter site.

Superintendent of Police (Visakha Rural) Babujee Attada mentioned that the death toll might increase. “We are yet to establish the identity of the deceased Maoists, and combing operations will further intensify in all the strategic places where Maoists presence has been identified according to reports,” he added.