3 Maoists Killed In Sukma Encounter; CRPF Defuses Pressure IED In Bijapur

 

Security forces killed 3 Maoists, including a woman, in a gunfight in Sukma and defused a pressure IED in Bijapur on Wednesday and Thursday, acting on intelligence to prevent attacks in Chhattisgarh.

 

In Sukma district, personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) launched an anti-Naxal operation after receiving specific information about the presence of armed Maoists in the forested and hilly areas under Gollapalli police station limits. Acting on the tip-off, DRG teams moved into the area and laid a cordon around the suspected hideout early Thursday.

 

Officials said security forces kept the area under watch from morning and engaged the Maoists after they opened fire. Intermittent firing continued for several hours in the jungle terrain. By the end of the operation, the DRG team neutralised 3 Maoists, including 1 woman, who had remained trapped inside the cordoned zone since morning. Police said they would share more details after completing the operation and search procedures.

 

The encounter took place in one of the worst Maoist-affected pockets of Sukma, where dense forests and hills often provide cover to armed Maoists. Security forces carried out the operation as part of ongoing efforts to curb Maoist activities in the region.

 

 

A day earlier in neighbouring Narayanpur district, 11 Maoists surrendered before the police. Officials said the Maoists laid down arms at the SP office after drawing inspiration from the Maad Bachao Abhiyan and the Poona Margem initiative, which focuses on rehabilitation after surrender. The group included 5 women Maoists.

 

In a separate incident on Wednesday, security forces averted a major attack in Bijapur district after detecting and destroying a pressure-activated improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Maoists. The incident occurred in Pillur village under Farsegad police station limits.

 

 

Police said a team from the CRPF’s 214th Battalion camp at Pillur carried out combing and demining operations in the area when personnel noticed a suspicious object on a dirt road, around 300 metres from the Pillur-Marwada road. The team immediately secured the area and called the bomb disposal squad.

 

After a detailed check, the squad identified the object as a pressure IED concealed inside a glass bottle. Bijapur additional superintendent of police Chandrakant Govarna said the device could explode on pressure and Maoists planted it to cause serious harm to security personnel or villagers using the route.

 

 

The CRPF bomb disposal team neutralised and destroyed the IED on the spot by following all safety protocols. Officials confirmed that the operation caused no injuries or damage. After the destruction, forces conducted a thorough search of the surrounding area to rule out the presence of other explosives.

 

Police said area domination and demining operations will continue in the region to prevent Maoist activities and ensure safety for security personnel and local residents.