TNI Bureau: In a major anti-Maoist operation, security forces in Chhattisgarh killed 10 insurgents, including senior CPI-Maoist leader Modem Balakrishna, and arrested 26 others across two districts on Thursday.
The encounter took place in the forests of Mainpur in Gariaband district, where a joint team of the Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG), and CRPF’s CoBRA battalion engaged Maoist cadres. Balakrishna, 58, a Central Committee member from Telangana’s Warangal district, carried a reward of Rs 1 crore. His death is considered a major setback for Maoist operations in the region.
In a separate operation in Bijapur district, 26 Maoist operatives were arrested, including six with rewards amounting to Rs 13 lakh. Security personnel recovered explosives, IEDs, detonators, wires, and Maoist propaganda materials during the raids.
Police said the arrested cadres admitted they were planning to plant IEDs targeting security forces. All have been booked under relevant laws and remanded to judicial custody.