The anti-Naxal operation in Gadchiroli, in which seven Maoists were neutralized, lasted three days and three nights in hostile terrain, Superintendent of Police Neelotpal said on Saturday.
On Friday, police said seven Maoists were killed in Gadchiroli, including Prabhakar, a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZCM), which was in charge of the Western Sub-Zone Office, Gadchiroli Divisional Committee and No. 10 Company.
A C-60 jawan who was injured during the operations died on Friday.
“For the first time it happened that the C-60 carried out a very long operation – lasting three days and three nights – in extremely hostile terrain. From the nearest pagdandee, which could be reached, our operation started 14 kilometers away. All the cadres were verified, three of them belong to Company Number 10, and the remaining cadres are from Chhattisgarh,” SP Neelotpal said, addressing a press conference in Gadchiroli.
He further said that there will be no Maoists in Gadchiroli after March 31, 2026, the deadline given by the government to end Maoism.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said the Maoists killed in the anti-Naxal operations in Gadchiroli were the last remnants and only a handful of them remain in Maharashtra.
“The police had laid two cordons, in which seven Maoists were killed and their leaders were neutralized. These were the last remnants. On the Maharashtra side, only a handful of Maoists remain. Some are still in Chhattisgarh, but the way operations are going there, they too will be eliminated soon. The work done by the police is truly commendable. Unfortunately, we have lost a martyred policeman. Despite wearing a bulletproof vest, he was hit by a bullet. “Which is extremely tragic. We will take care of your family. I congratulate the Gadchiroli police for their work. I think the remaining cadres will surrender or they too will be neutralized,” Fadnavis told reporters.
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The Maharashtra government had announced a total cash reward of Rs 71 lakh accruing to them. While the Maoist movement in Gadchiroli district is now confined to the border areas of Bhamragad tehsil in Abujhmaad, the police received credible information on February 3 that the remaining members of Company Number 10 and unknown Maoists in Chhattisgarh have been camping with the intention of carrying out destructive activities in the Gadchiroli-Narayanpur border area.
An anti-Maoist operation, led by sub-divisional police officer Bhamragad Amar Mohite and 14 C-60 parties, was immediately launched in the forest area on Tuesday night.
Facing very remote and challenging terrain, the police groups had entered said forest area. During the search operation on Wednesday, the Maoists opened indiscriminate fire on the police personnel. The personnel retaliated and fired at the Maoists in self-defence.
The commandos destroyed two Maoist camps and recovered a large amount of Maoist belongings from the site. However, due to adverse terrain and dense forest, the Maoists could not be traced.
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Subsequently, it was decided to continue the operation on Thursday and four additional C-60 units and one CRPF QAT unit were reinforced to the existing cordon.
As intermittent exchanges of fire between Maoists and police continued, during Friday’s encounter, police teams managed to recover the body of three Maoists along with two firearms, including an AK-47 rifle and an SLR rifle, from the spot.
Also, on Friday, in a clash between police and Maoists, four more bodies of Maoists were recovered from the spot. In total, during the three-day operation carried out in a very remote terrain, the Gadchiroli police managed to neutralize seven Maoists.
However, during heavy firing late Thursday afternoon, Deepak Chinna Madavi of C-60 Pranhita received a gunshot wound. He was airlifted from deep in the Abujhmaad forests early in the morning and shifted to Bhamragad sub-district hospital, where he succumbed to injuries.
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During the operation, another C-60 commando, Joga Madavi, was also shot and wounded. He was also airlifted to Gadchiroli. Currently his condition is stable and he is undergoing treatment.
The seven Maoists include Prabhakar alias Ravi alias Prakalveer alias Swamy alias Loketi Chandarrao (57), a resident of Isrojiwada, Kamareddy in Telangana. He was carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh. He was prosecuted for a total of 113 cases, including 73 encounter charges, 13 murders, six arson cases and 21 others.
Another Maoist was Pagu Modyam (30), a resident of Dalla in Avapalli in Bijapur, was commander of Company Number 05 and took a reward of Rs 16 lakh. Anila alias Budari Kowachi (24), a resident of Sukma, in the rank of PPCM and Prabhakar Guard, was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh. Anila was booked for eight encounters, one murder and three other crimes.
Kamesh Pada (35) of Sukma, who was also killed, belonged to the special squad of Maad area. Kamesh was PPCM and Maad Special Platoon Area Commander, with a reward of Rs 8 lakh. Bhajnath alias Bhima Holi (40) of Tekalgudem, Sukma (CG) was also neutralized. He was carrying a reward of Rs 6 lakh and belonged to Paralkot LOS in the ACM rank.
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Another Maoist is Mangali Kursam, a West Bastar resident of Company No. 10, who is receiving a reward of Rs 4 lakh. Jogi Sodhi Madavi (27), of Budagicheru, Bijapur (CG) of Company No. 05, carrying a reward of Rs 4 lakh was also neutralised.
Three AK-47 rifles, one SLR, one .303 rifle, 173 live bullets, three BGLs, seven magazines and two bundles of Cortex wire were seized at the scene.
This successful operation was carried out under the leadership of ADG (Spl Ops) Dr. Chhering Dorje, Spl IGP ANO Sandip Patil, DIG Gadchiroli Range Ankit Goyal, DIG (Ops) CRPF Ajai Kumar Sharma, SP Gadchiroli Neelotpal, Addl SP (Ops) M. Ramesh, Addl. SP Aheri Karrthik Madhira, Addl. SP (Admn.) Gokul Raj G., Dysp (Ops.) Vishal Nagargoje and led by Sub Divisional Police Officer, Bhamragad Amar Mohite, C-60 Commandos and CRPF.