New Delhi:
Jayaram Reddy, a senior Maoist chief also referred to as Chalapati, escaped safety forces for many years till a selfie along with his spouse, Aruna alias Chaitanya Venkat Ravi, price him his life. He was amongst 20 Maoists killed in a joint operation by central and state police forces alongside the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border this week.
Chalapati carried a reward of Rs 1 crore and was the mastermind of the February 2008 assault in Odisha’s Nayagarh district, through which 13 safety personnel misplaced their lives.
He ensured the Maoists might efficiently escape from Nayagarh after robbing the police armoury, a senior officer concerned in anti-Maoist operations instructed the information company PTI on Wednesday.
He additionally ensured that police reinforcements couldn’t enter Nayagarh when the assault on the armoury was underway and the Maoists had blocked all roads resulting in the city with large tree trunks, the officer mentioned.
He stayed incognito for years however a selfie along with his spouse Aruna, a ‘deputy commander’ of the Andhra Odisha Border Particular Zonal Committee (AOBSZC), helped safety forces establish him. The image was present in an deserted smartphone that was recovered in Might 2016 following an encounter between Maoists and safety forces in Andhra Pradesh.
A bounty of Rs 1 crore was then introduced on his head, forcing him to journey with a safety element comprising 8-10 private guards.
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A resident of Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor — the place Maoist actions have ended now — Chalapati was a senior member of the central committee of the Maoists, which is the best decision-making physique inside the group.
He was primarily energetic in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar however relocated his base just a few months in the past as a result of growing frequency of encounters within the space. He shifted close to the Odisha border, in search of a safer operational zone.
He was thought of an skilled in navy techniques and guerrilla warfare, officers mentioned.
Union Residence Minister Amit Shah, who has vowed to eradicate Maoists by March 2026, referred to as the encounter “one other mighty blow to Naxalism”.
“Our safety forces achieved main success in direction of constructing a Naxal-free Bharat. The CRPF, SoG Odisha, and Chhattisgarh Police neutralised 14 Naxalites in a joint operation alongside the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border,” he posted on X.
“With our resolve for a Naxal-free India and the joint efforts of our safety forces, Naxalism is respiratory its final right this moment,” Mr Shah mentioned.
No less than 40 Maoists have up to now been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh this yr.
(With company inputs)