Giridih (Jharkhand), June 30: Acting on a tip off on Monday, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) along with the district police recovered arms and ammunitions from Maoists in the red corridor of eastern Jharkhand.
A Maoist was also reportedly killed during the police encounter.
Superintendent of Police (SP), Giridih, Kranti Kumar, said that the combing was launched in the area to nab the red rebels but they escaped amid exchange of fire.
“Acting on a tip off, we launched the ambush with the joint team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and district police. The Maoists escaped in the middle of firing. We have recovered IEDs, a rifle and some bullets,” he said.
Maoists, also known as Naxals, have killed police and politicians, and targeted government buildings and railway tracks in an insurgency that has killed thousands since the 1960s.
The Maoists, who say they are fighting for the rights of the poor and landless, control some of India’s mineral-rich areas and operate in large areas of the eastern, central and southern countryside.
The rebels are estimated to number 7000 hardcore fighters in nearly a third of India’s 630 districts.
