Maoist Chalapati, with Rs 1 cr bounty, among 12 killed in Chhattisgarh

The operations were being conducted by the police forces of Odisha and Chhattisgarh and CRPF, he said.

Bhubaneswar: Twelve more Maoists including senior leader Chalapati, who carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore, were killed in a gunfight between security personnel and left-wing extremists along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border on Tuesday, police said.

As two women red rebels were gunned down on Monday, the total number of Maoists killed in the ongoing inter-state operation mounted to 14, a senior officer said. The operations were being conducted by the police forces of Odisha and Chhattisgarh and CRPF, he said.

“In the ongoing operation, 12 more Maoists have been killed during late night and early morning in an exchange of fire with SOG (special operation group) team during the ongoing joint inter-state operation,” the Odisha Police said in a statement.

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The number of Maoists killed in the joint operation at the Kularighat reserve forest in Chhattisgarh, just 5 km from the border of Nuapada district of Odisha, increased to 14, the officer said. “The number of Maoist casualties may increase. Arms and ammunition have been seized in massive amounts,” he added.

The exchange of fire which killed Maoist Chalapati, among others, took place on Monday night in a forested area near the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, in the Kularighat reserve forest, located just five kilometres from Odisha’s Nuapada district.

The operation is part of ongoing efforts to eliminate Maoist activity in Chhattisgarh, with over 40 Maoists killed in separate encounters this year alone.

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Chalapati, a key figure in Maoist operations in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, had recently relocated near the Odisha border to avoid the increasing frequency of encounters in his previous base.

In 2024, security forces killed over 200 Maoists in Chhattisgarh, including 217 from the Bastar region. The year also saw the arrest of over 800 Maoists and the surrender of approximately 802 others. Despite these successes, the ongoing conflict has resulted in the loss of 18 security personnel and 65 civilians.

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)

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