24 Maoists killed on Odisha-Andhra border

Twenty-four members of the banned CPI (Maoist) were killed in an encounter with a combined team of the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha police near Jantri in Malkangiri district of Odisha, a few km away from the border with Andhra Pradesh, in the early hours of Monday. This is the highest casualty suffered by the Maoist party in this area.

“We suspect that Maoists of Odisha and AP assembled in forests for a plenary, as many weapons were seized from the spot. Some top Maoist leaders were killed and a few most wanted extremists escaped from the scene. Police can give exact number of deaths later,” said Mr. Rao. The injured Greyhounds constables are being shifted to King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam by helicopters.

“We have intensified combing in the Andhra-Odisha border forests. The injured constables are out of danger,” the DGP said.