By Mahi Jain
Two women Naxalites were killed in a shootout by the police in the forests of Etapalli taluka on Wednesday in a well-coordinated anti-Maoist operation. The confrontation happened with a reliable intelligence about a Maoist group camping in the forest near Modaske village under the Gatta Jambhiya police station limits.
Gadchiroli Police, supported by five units of C-60 commandos and the CRPF’s 191st Battalion, conducted the raid under the management of the Additional Superintendent of Police Satya Sai Karthik. The CRPF and local police from Gatta Jambhiya Post formed the outer cordon for the operation.
The two women killed were identified as Sumitra alias Sunita Veladi (38) and Lalita alias Laddo alias Sandhya Korsa (34). Sumitra was the leader of the Gatta Dalam squad Local Organisation Squad, Gatta (LOS), and there was a reward of ₹8 lakh on her head.
In addition to being wanted for 14 encounters, 31 other criminal cases were included, 12 murders, along with arson and other crimes. Lalita (or Sandhya Korsa) was an Area Committee Member (ACM), for whom ₹6 lakh was the bounty. She also had several serious charges against her.
During the encounter, they fired at the Dhakke Maoists indiscriminately. Fast was the reaction of the C-60 teams. More than an hour after the shooting and after the search, the two women’s bodies were taken out of the forest.
The weapons and materials of the militants that were recovered include an AK-47 rifle, a pistol, live rounds of ammunition, walkie-talkies, and some Maoist literature. Officials say that a thorough search of the area is being done to locate any remaining insurgents. In addition, they have pointed out that since 2021, Gadchiroli Police have killed 93 hardcore Maoists, arrested 130 others, and facilitated the surrender of 75 cadres.