Nineteen Maoists including five carrying cash rewards on their heads were arrested during separate operations carried out by security forces in Naxal-infested Sukma district, police said on Monday.
A joint contingent of 206th battalion CoBRA, 150th battalion of CRPF, DRG and District Police had started on an anti-Naxal operation from Chintagufa police station limits, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sukma, Santosh Singh informed.
During the operation, the police party nabbed 12 Maoists from Minpa village. They were involved in the attack on security personnel during lok Sabha Elections 2014, in which three jawans were martyred, while five, were injured, the ASP said.
A muzzle gun, loud speaker, mike, wireless receiver, cordex wire, electric wire and other items were seized from their possession, Singh said.
In a similar operation undertaken in the limits of Gadiras police station, six suspected Maoists were held. They were involved in incidents like arson, setting vehicles on fire involved in construction work, blocking roads and similar.
Among Maoists arrested from Gadiras, Hungi carried a reward of `5,000 on his arrest while SP Sukma had declared reward of `2,000 each on arrests of Kosa and Deva, the ASP said adding cash reward of `1,000 was also announced on Dule and Gangi. All of them have been arrested.
Further, during a search operation at Kuknar police station limits, a member of Naxal outfit Dandkaranya Kisan Adivasi Majdoor Sangh (DKAMS) was also nabbed. While, in a different action, an IED weighing about 8 kg was detected and defused by CRPF and District Police personnel in Bhejji police station limits, the ASP said.