Major Encounter in Gadchiroli: 12 Maoists Killed, Maharashtra Government Rewards Police with Rs 51 Lakh

 

 

The operation occurred at Wandoli village, near the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border. The C60 elite commando unit of the Anti-Naxalite Operations (ANO) led the encounter. Gadchiroli's Superintendent of Police, Nilotpal, confirmed the incident.

 

"An operation was launched around 10 am from Gadchiroli, during which seven C60 parties led by the Deputy Superintendent (Operations) were sent near the Chhattisgarh border in Wandoli village based on credible intelligence about the location of 12-15 Maoists camping near the village.

 

A heavy exchange of fire started in the afternoon and continued intermittently till late evening for more than six hours," he stated.

 

"Area search has led to the recovery of 12 Maoist bodies. Seven automatic weapons, including three AK47s, two INSAS rifles, one carbine, and one SLR, have been recovered so far," he added.

 

CPI (Maoist) Divisional Committee (DVCM) member Laxman Atram, alias Vishal Atram, who was in charge of Tipagad Dalam, has been identified among the deceased Maoists. Further identification of Maoists and search operations are underway.

 

"One Sub-Inspector of C60 and one jawan have suffered bullet injuries. They are out of danger, have been evacuated, and shifted to Nagpur," he said.

 

The encounter took place on a day when the two Deputy Chief Ministers of the state, Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the Home, Law & Judiciary Minister, and Ajit Pawar, who is also the Finance and Planning Minister, along with state Industries Minister Uday Samant, were in Gadchiroli for the foundation laying ceremony of a Rs 10,000-crore integrated steel project.

 

 

On April 22 and 23, 2018, more than 40 Maoists, including four commanders, were killed in twin encounters in Gadchiroli district by ANO-CRPF, marking the largest operation in terms of casualties inflicted on the Naxals.

 

On March 3 and 4, 2020, in a successful Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) operation against the Maoists along the Gadchiroli border, an arms manufacturing unit was busted.

 

On May 21, 2021, 13 outlawed Maoists were killed in a pre-dawn encounter with police and security forces at the Paydi-Kotmi jungle in the Etapalli sub-division of Gadchiroli district.

 

On October 11, 2021, five Maoists were killed during an encounter at the Kosmi-Kisneli jungles of Dhanora, located along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border.