A CoBRA trooper was seriously injured during an encounter with Maoists in a dense forests patch of insurgency-hit Bijapur district of Bastar, police said here on Tuesday.
The gunfight occurred in the morning hours when a team of CRPF’s elite unit — 204th CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) battalion was carrying out anti-Naxal operation in the interiors of Basaguda police station limits, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Bijapur Indira Kalyan Elesela said.
Though body of no Maoist was found in the incident; police seized explosives, guns and other items from the spot, he added.
According to the ASP, the police party was about 15 km away from Basaguda police station in forests near Puvarti village. Suddenly Maoists opened indiscriminate firing on the police party in which constable Deepu Das sustained bullet injuries, the ASP said.
Security personnel retaliated and Maoists were forced to flee from the spot, he said adding country made rifle, 12 pipe bombs, explosives used in making of IED (improvised explosive device), backpacks and other items of daily use were recovered, he mentioned.
“The constable has sustained bullet injuries on his back,” Elesela said adding his condition was critical and would be able to tell about the condition of the trooper only after getting medical report.
The Injured trooper was airlifted to Raipur for better treatment, he added.