Six Maoists gunned down in Andhra operation

Visakhapatnam, June 16, 2021

Six Maoists were gunned down by Andhra Pradesh Police's Greyhounds -- an elite anti-insurgency force -- on Wednesday morning at Theegalametta forest area in Visakhapatnam district.

Sources said the six killed included a senior Maoist leader while some others are believed to have escaped from the spot.

Police are continuing search operations in the area where the encounter took place.

"Today (Wednesday) in the morning hours, an exchange of fire took place between CPI (Maoist) and Greyhounds parties at Theegalametta forest areas (Koyyru surrounding areas)," said an official statement.

The encounter took place under the police station limits of Mampa, surrounding the Koyyuru area.

The six dead included women, police said.

Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Gautam Sawant said that police had launched combing operations in the area after receiving reliable inputs.

The Greyhounds police recovered an AK-47 rifle, a self-loading rifle, one carbine and two more guns from the spot.

IANS