Odisha Maovadi chief Sabyasachi Panda received bullet injury when security forces opened fire at him from his behind in the Sukhi forest under Mohana block in Gajapati
district on Friday. A bullet pierced his right thigh while another hit his laptop.
This was informed by Southern Range DIG Amitabh Thakur. The police also arrested three women Maoists from Sukhi forest and recovered arms and hard cash, said Thakur.
The three arrested Maoists were identified as Nikita Majhi, Tadingi Majhi and Sukanti Majhi of the Sabyasachi Panda-led Odisha Maovadi Party (OMP). Nikita is believed to have been a leading cadre of the OMP,
said the DIG. Thakur said the police busted a Maoist camp in the jungle and recovered a huge cache of arm and ammunitions along with hard cash.
During interrogation, the women Maoists said that Panda is roaming around in the jungle with three people. “Panda is not keeping well. Our operation is underway to bust more Maoist camps and nab the most wanted extremist leader,” said Thakur.
The police had conducted raid on a Maoist camp in the Salimagochha jungle in the boarder area of the Ganjam district on February 14 where Panda had narrowly escaped from the clutches of the police.