Two groups of banned CPI (Maoist) members, including a senior cadre carrying Rs 25 lakh reward, escaped after exchange of fire with the police in separate incidents in forest areas in Telangana and intensified combing operations launched to nab them, officials said on Wednesday. One police personnel suffered "minor injuries" when a 13-member group of ultras opened fire and fled in a forest area of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district on Wednesday morning, hours after another group engaged in gunfire in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district on Tuesday night in which there were no casualties, top police officials of the two districts said. However, it was not clear if there were any injuries on the Maoists side in the incident on Wednesday morning, police said adding extensive combing operations were underway at both the places and neighbouring regions. In the first incident, police came across five ultras led by Telangana "State Committee" member of the CPI (Maoist) Bhaskar, armed with AK-47 gun, at around 10.30 pm on Tuesday in Thokkuguda village in Asifabad District during continuing searches, police said. The Maoists opened fire at the Police party which retaliated, following which they escaped, Asifabad Superintendent of Police (In-charge) Vishnu S Warrier said. Bhaskar, who hails from Adilabad district of Telangana, is allegedly involved in multiple offences and has gone underground for nearly 30 years. He carries a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head announced by the state government. His wife was also a Maoist, police said. The group had entered Telangana from bordering Maharashtra and had been moving around in the forest areas for the past two months. It is a five-member team comprising of Telangana State Committee member Bhaskar and four others and this was learnt later after interrogation of the person who had given them food and support," the official said. "Bhaskar was carrying AK 47, while four others were having SLR weapons. They were missed by a whisker (from being caught) as it was heavily raining and due to darkness they escaped into the forest area, Warrier said. In fact, they managed to give a slip to the police on Sunday night also and some items left behind by them were seized in Thiryani Mandal, he said. Besides massive combing operations in the forest areas, heavy police force has been deployed andvillages and vehicles were being continuously checked in the area, the police official said. The SP said any person giving information about the Maoists or any suspicious persons in their area will be rewarded and their identity will be kept as a secret. Search operations and intense combing operations are going on to catch them... It seems they would have run out of supplies and came out of forests for logistics support... based on information police had launched search operation, Warrier said. The second exchange of fire took place in Mallepallitogu forest area in Bhadradri-Kothagudem District at 9 am on Wednesday when 500 police personnel in 25 teams were engaged in search operations on a tip-off that Maoists have sneaked into Telangana from neighbouring Chhattisgarh. The Maoists numbering around 13, escaped leaving behind their goods after the exchange of fire, Bhadradri-Kothagudem District Superintendent of Police Sunil Dutt said. Extensive combing operations were on in the area and three neighbouring districts to nab the ultras, who escaped, he added.
