Elite commando injured in landmine blast by Maoists in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli
On February 23, a Maoist camp was destroyed and an ambush against security forces was foiled by police in Gadchiroli district.
A commando of Maharashtra's elite C-60 anti-Maoist squad was injured in an encounter with the armed insurgents near Bhamragarh in south Gadchiroli, bordering Chhattisgarh, some 350 kms from Nagpur on Friday, said officials.
The encounter took place when a C-60 battalion was patrolling in the jungle of Koparshi under Bhamragarh tehsil early this morning. The Maoists, who were camping there for a meeting, triggered a landmine explosion, in which at least one commando was injured, as per reports.
A fierce battle was taking place between the rebels and the elite security squad in the area. The district police headquarters has sent a helicopter to bring the injured commando for treatment, along with additional personnel with arms and ammunition. Besides, a large number of paramilitary forces, along with state police, were sent to the spot to help the C-60 squad, reports said.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Gadchiroli range, Sandeep Patil said that the commandos successfully destroyed a mini arms and ammunition factory near the blast site. “The operation in the area to flush out Maoists is still on-going,” he said and suspected some casualties on the side of militants.
Neighbouring Chhattisgarh government was also sending security forces to the spot on Maharashtra's request so that the Maoists can be dealt with firmly. Senior police officials have also rushed to the spot, the reports further said.
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On February 23, a Maoist camp was destroyed and an ambush against security forces was foiled by police in Gadchiroli district and two days later on February 25, security forces busted seven Maoist hideouts and recovered a huge cache of explosives during a three-day operation along the Chhattisgarh- Maharashtra border, according to the police. A district reserve guard jawan was killed and another suffered injuries in separate encounters with ultras during the operation.
(More details awaited)
