Gadchiroli: Two women Naxalites and a Jan Militia commander involved in several violent attacks on security forces and collectively carrying rewards of Rs 5.5 lakh were arrested on Sunday in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, an official said.
The arrests have come ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Gadchiroli is a part of the state's Vidarbha region, where ten seats will go to polls in the first two phases on April 19 and April 26.
According to a release by Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police Neelotpal, there were inputs that two women Naxalites, Kajal, alias Sindhu Gawade (28) and Geeta, alias Sukli Korcha (31), were keeping an eye on the movement of security forces in the district.
A team of state police, including personnel from its elite anti-Naxal force C-60, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) arrested the two from the limits of Pipali Burgi police station near the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, it said.
Kajal and Geeta were involved in an ambush that claimed the lives of an officer and C-60 personnel in the Koparshi-Poyarkoti forest area in 2020, the release said.
The two women Naxalites carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh each. The Maoist Jan Militia commander, identified as Pisa Pandu Narote, was involved in the murder of a police patil last year. Narote, who carried a reward of Rs 1.5 lakh, was arrested from the Gilanguda forest in the district, said Neelotpal.
Naxalites carry out their Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) in summers between March and June every year and step up their activities. Several attacks have been carried out against security forces during this period. The Gadchiroli police have arrested 77 hardcore Naxalites since January 22, said Neelotpal.
