Two Maoists killed in Kerala encounter

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Range IG M R Ajith Kumar said the search for other members of the group is still on.

Police sources said villagers had alerted them about the movement of Maoists in the region. Based on specific information, a 60-member police team entered the forest early on Thursday morning. The team included personnel from Thunderbolt, assigned for anti-Maoist operations in Kerala. Both sides exchanged several rounds of fire, killing two Maoists, said police sources, adding that there was no casualty on the police side. The Maoist group reportedly had 11 members. The slain Maoists’ bodies are yet to be brought out of the forest.

Nilambur forest, known as the tri-junction of Kerala-Tamil Nadu-Karnataka, has reportedly seen Maoist presence for five years now. There have been several incidents of suspected Maoists straying into tribal colonies in the villages. In September this year, police and Maoists exchanged fire at a tribal colony in Nilambur forests.

Maoist presence has been reported in Kerala in the past five years. Small armed groups are reported to have visited tribal colonies to distribute literature among the youths. They allegedly attacked several forest offices, torched vehicles, attacked resorts and quarry units.

Kerala police conducted frequent searches in the forests in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Palakkad districts. The first exchange of fire between police and Maoists was reported in Wayanad in December 2014.