Gadchiroli Encounter: Villager’s Tip-Off On Maoists Earns ₹86 Lakh Reward

According to The Times of India, the tribal villager who provided the tip-off to security forces about the presence of Maoists in the forest in Gadchiroli, leading to the killing of 12 Maoists, will get the full cash reward of ₹86 lakh.

Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared an additional incentive of ₹51 lakh for the commandos involved in the operation. The encounter near the border of Chhattisgarh started on Wednesday on a tip-off and continued for about six hours, police said.

The Maoists killed were identified as Yogesh Tulavi alias Narendra, 36, Vishal Atram alias Laxman, 43, and Pramod Kachlami, 31 each having a reward of ₹16 lakh against him. The others killed were Maharu Gawade, 31, Anil Darro, 28, Sarita Parsa, 37, Rajjo Gawade, 35, and Vijju, all area committee members of Chatgaon-Kasansur and Korchi-Tipagad LOS, carrying a reward of ₹6 lakh each. Chanda Podyam, Sita Hawke, Roja, and Sagar of the same groups were carrying a reward of ₹2 lakh each, PTI reported.

Recovery from the scene included several firearms, including seven automatic weapons, three AK47 rifles, two INSAS rifles, a carbine gun, a self-loading rifle, Maoist literature, explosives, detonators, and other belongings.

The police have stated that this operation resulted in completely eradicating the Korchi-Tipagad and Chatgaon-Kasansur Dalams of Naxals.

In another incident on Wednesday night, two STF personnel were killed, and four others injured in an IED attack by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district. The incident occurred in the Tarrem area as a joint team of security personnel was returning from an anti-Maoist operation in the forests at the tri-junction of Bijapur-Sukma-Dantewada districts.