Chhatisgarh: 12 naxals held in Bijapur district

Twelve Naxals have been arrested from separate places in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bijapur district during a joint operation of the Central Reserve Police Force's 199th battalion and the district police.

The Naxals were nabbed from the forests under the Bhairamgarh police station limits yesterday, Additional Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg told PTI.

Acting on specific inputs, security forces had launched a search operation in the interior of Bhairamgarh, around 450 km from here, on November 22, he said.

The Maoists were rounded up after the joint team cordoned off Itampara, Uspari, Biriyabhoomi and Daler villages inside the forests, he added.

Among those nabbed, warrants were pending against nine naxals including a woman, he added.

The maximum number of warrants, for 36 incidents, were pending against Sitaram Hemla, while 12 warrants were pending against Bheema Atra, the ASP said.

The arrested ultras were active as lower-rung cadres and involved in attacks on police, planting of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and putting up Naxal banners and posters, he added.

Search operations have been intensified in the interior of Bastar division, which comprises seven districts, in view of People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (military wing of the Maoists) Week which the ultras observe from December 2 to 8.

Rebels are known to step up their activities during this period.