Berhampur: A day after neutralising two Maoists, including a woman cadre, and seizing a huge cache of arms and ammunition in Nandabali reserve forest under Raikia police limits in Kandhamal district, police intensified the anti-Maoist operation on Monday.“Security forces are stepping up efforts to trace other cadres and ensure complete domination of the area. A massive combing operation is underway,” ADG (anti-Naxal) Sanjeeb Panda said in Phulbani.The two Maoists were killed during an exchange of fire with special operation group (SOG) jawans on Sunday. They were identified as Jagesh, deputy commander of a militant platoon of CPI (Maoist), and Ratna, a party member. The state govt announced rewards of Rs 22 lakh and Rs 1.65 lakh on them respectively.Police said the govt has also announced rewards for seized weapons — Rs 3.3 lakh for AK-47 rifles, Rs 44,000 for under barrel grenade launcher (UBGL), and Rs 1.65 lakh for 7.62 mm self-loading rifle (SLR).One AK-47 fitted with UBGL, one 7.62 mm SLR with magazine, and several Maoist-related materials were seized from the spot. The seized items also included an INSAS magazine, SLR and AK-47 magazines and ammunition, detonators, Maoist literature, medicines and other articles.The slain Maoists were involved in at least 11 incidents in Kandhamal district since 2020 — three under Tumudibandh, seven under Gochhapada and one under Raikia police limits. “We are verifying their involvement in other Maoist activities,” said SP (Kandhamal) Harish BC.Thirty Maoists, including the two killed, had been operating in the district under the leadership of Sukru, a state zonal committee member of the Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division of CPI (Maoist), police said.Acting on a tip-off, 11 SOG teams and two CRPF teams of the 127 and 64 battalions launched a joint operation on Friday night. The encounter on Sunday lasted nearly two hours, police added.The Centre has fixed March 31 as the deadline to end Naxalism, and the state police are working with “full dedication” to meet the target, officials said.
