In a major setback to the Maoists, a senior Maoist cadre of Vekatapuram Area Committee of Bhadrachalam Division and seven other naxalites were killed in an “encounter” with the police in the Gottepadu forest area close to the Telangana-Chattisgarh border in south Bastar region of the neighbouring State in the small hours of Tuesday.
The police reportedly found eight bodies of slain Maoists including three women cadres after the cessation of exchange of fire. They reportedly recovered one AK 47, three SLRs and three other firearms.
The CPI (Maoist) Venkatapuram Area Committee Secretary Lachanna alias Kunja Veeraiah, is believed to be among those killed in the exchange of fire, according to sources.
The encounter took place when a team of Telangana and Chhattisgarh police personnel and CRPF men were carryingout a joint combing operation in the Gottepadu forest area.