Three prime Naxal leaders gunned down in encounter in Andhra Pradesh, AK-47 rifles recovered
The spouse of slain Naxal chief Chalapathi, who had a bounty of Rs 1 crore, was amongst three Naxalites gunned down on Wednesday in an encounter with safety forces in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
The gunfight passed off within the Rampachodavaram police station limits, the place a joint crew of safety personnel launched a combing operation based mostly on particular intelligence inputs.
In accordance with officers, these killed have been recognized as Chalapathi’s spouse, Ravi Chaitanya alias Aruna, a Particular Zonal Committee Member (SZCM), Gajarala Ravi alias Uday, and Anju, an Space Committee Member (ACM).
All three have been thought of high-value targets inside the Maoist hierarchy.
Arms recovered
In the course of the operation, safety forces recovered three AK-47 rifles from the scene, indicating the extent of firepower the group was geared up with. The operation is a part of ongoing efforts to curb insurgency and restore peace in Maoist-affected areas of Andhra Pradesh and surrounding states.
Additional searches are underway within the surrounding forest areas to make sure no different militants are current.
Who was Chalapathi?
Chalapathi, also referred to as Appa Rao, was a seasoned Maoist chief in his 60s and was extensively considered a grasp army strategist and carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head. Recognized for crafting key assault methods, he performed a vital position in shaping the ideological basis of many younger recruits inside the Maoist ranks. He was killed together with 13 Naxalites in an encounter in Chhattisgarh earlier this yr in January.
Born in Chittoor of Andhra Pradesh, Chalapathi joined the Maoist motion practically 27 years in the past. He as soon as oversaw operations alongside the delicate Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) and final held a place within the Central Committee (CC) of the CPI (Maoist), the outfit’s highest decision-making physique.
His spouse, Aruna, additionally joined the Naxal cadres and was an lively member of the Maoist organisation.
Crackdown on Naxalism
The steady anti-Naxal operations alongside the border areas of Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana come as a part of Dwelling Minister Amit Shah’s vow to fully eradicate Left-wing extremism from India by March 2026. Safety have been deployed for the previous few months within the Karregutta Hills, a Naxal hotbed, attempting to find Maoists who’ve chosen to not give up.