Eight naxals held from two places in C'garh

Eight naxals were arrested from two places in the insurgency-hit Bastar division of Chhattisgarh, police said today.

"While five ultras were arrested following an encounter between them and security forces in Dantewada district yesterday, three others were held from Sukma district today," a senior police official told PTI.

Acting on specific inputs, joint teams of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) were out on anti-Maoists operation in the interiors of Aranpur police station limits (Dantewada) since September 9, he said.

On Sunday when the patrolling team was near village Kakaadi, ultras triggered an IED (improvised explosive device) blast and then opened fire at them, in which two security personnel were injured, he said.
 

"While a DRG jawan sustained injuries in the blast, a paramilitary trooper suffered bullet wounds," he added.

After the firing stopped, five ultras were rounded up from the forests while they were trying to escape from the spot, he said.

Those held were identified as Hemla Podia (40), Hidma Madvi (40), Hemla Joga (45), Hemla Budhu (42) and Madvi Deva (36), he added.

In another incident, three lower-rung cadres - Muchaki Pandu (25), Podiam Hunga (26) and Podiam Gutta, were apprehended by a joint team of DRG and district force from Chintagufa police station area, he added.

The trio was allegedly involved in the exchange of fire between ultras and security personnel in Tondmarka and Durma villages of Sukma on June 24 this year that had resulted in the death of two DRG personnel and a Maoist, he added.