Even as the Odisha police achieved remarkable success in eliminating as many as seven hardcore Maoists in the past 48 hours in Balangir and Kandhamal districts, DGP RP Sharma on Monday said the anti-Maoist drive would be intensified further and intelligence-based operations would be launched in extremists-infested areas of the State.In a bid to keep the momentum going, similar operations to flush out Red rebels would be intensified across the State with precise intelligence inputs, Sharma said.“We have now decided to focus more on intelligence-based anti-Maoist operations in coordination with our counterparts in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand,” said the DGP.
Sharma further stated that special operations would be launched in several Maoists-infested areas while focus would be laid on elimination of the Red rebels in Koraput, Malkangiri, Nuapada, Rayagada and Kalahandi districts.
Elaborating on the operations in Balangir and Kandhamal districts, he revealed that seven ultras, including two top Maoist cadres, carrying bounties on their heads were killed in gun battles with the District Voluntary Force (DVF) and the Special Operations Group (SOG). “We have recovered several arms including AK- 47, Insas and SlR and ammunitions during combing operations which are still underway in both districts,'” he added. Investigations are on to trace the arms trail of the Maoists through which sophisticated arms like AK-47 and Insas rifles are being procured.