Letter confirms death of 8 Naxalites due to Covid-19: SP

A day after the Dantewada SP Abhishek Pallav suspected the death of Naxalites due to the Covid-19, a letter has been recovered from the encounter site claiming the death of 8 Naxalites due to the deadly virus.

Dantewada (Chhattisgarh):A day after the Dantewada SP Abhishek Pallav suspected the death of Naxalites due to the Covid-19, a letter has been recovered from the encounter site claiming the death of 8 Naxalites due to the deadly virus.

Confirming the incident, SP Abhishek Pallava said that the camp was demolished during the encounter in the Gangalur-Sukma area. In which a letter from the Naxalite leader has been recovered. Naxalites are talking to each other through letters. The letter claims the death of 8 Naxalites due to the deadly virus.

Earlier, Dantewada IG Sundararaj P has also said that many Naxalites have died due to the coronavirus infection and more than 100 Naxalites are virus-positive.

SP Abhishek Pallava has said that the Naxalites are leaving the organization fearing the virus.

Read: Covid-19 kills Naxalite rebels: Police

The recovered letter also reveals the death of the cadres of the PNGA battalion.

Dantewada SP on Tuesday said that at least ten Naxals have reportedly died of COVID-19 or food poisoning in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh and even some senior rebel leaders are suffering from the viral infection.

"According to local villagers, Naxals burnt the bodies of at least ten colleagues in the forest along the border of Bijapur and Sukma districts on Monday night," said Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava.

Read:Dantewada Police urge Maoists suffering from COVID to surrender

"We suspect the deaths were caused by COVID-19 or food poisoning. But we are trying to get more details," he said.

Passenger and cargo vehicles are being stopped and their occupants are tested.

As of Monday, the tribal-dominated Bastar division, comprising seven districts including Dantewada, had reported 67,478 COVID-19 cases including 452 deaths.

Read: Five-month pregnant DSP is doing duty in Dantewada

(Inputs from Agency)