Evidence of Nepal Maoists in Gadchiroli: Cops

A heavy posse of policemen is presently in pursuit of a Naxal dalam which has been on the run since the attack on the Pursalgondi gram panchayat in southern Gadchiroli on May 20. Bomb blasts have been reported in the area and a live landmine has also been recovered; the police suspect at least two casualties among the Naxals.

SP Shirish Jain told The Indian Express that Pursalgondi villagers have informed them about ‘‘fair, short-statured’’ men and women accompanying the Naxalites at the time of the attack. ‘‘We have been suspecting of late that the Naxalites are getting heavy support from outside. They are quite heavily armed with automatic weapons. And the villagers’ description plus the intelligence inputs compel us to believe that the Nepalese Maoists have been camping around the area of late,’’ Jain said.

‘‘We already have a few photographs of local Naxalites attending some programme with Nepalese Maoists in the Himalayas,’’ he added.

The Naxalites have also intensified attacks in neighbouring Chhattisgarh over the past fortnight. Six policemen were killed there in an explosion three days ago. Chhattisgarh Naxalites have also acquired rocket-launching armoured vehicles. ‘‘Andhra Naxals are known to have possessed them for some time now, but they are certainly new to this region,’’ Jain said. ‘‘They have heavy weaponry. All these have, possibly, been acquired during the ceasefire in Andhra Pradesh.’’