RAIPUR: Timely action by the Sukma police force and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) led to the recovery of a pickup truck, containing Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders, which was allegedly hijacked by the outlawed CPI (Maoist) in south Bastar.
The rebels took control of the vehicle after thrashing its driver and helper on Monday evening leading to very tense moments for the Chhattisgarh police, the intelligence wing, and the Central agencies.
It was the first time the Maoists hijacked a truck loaded with LPG cylinders as they drove the vehicle away towards their core area in the virtual war zone of south Bastar, about 500 km from Raipur.
“Realising the gravity of the situation, we immediately launched a search operation by the Sukma district reserve guards (DRGs). Simultaneously, backup support from the CRPF was also pressed into action. The joint action successfully averted the dangerous ulterior plots the Maoists could have planned for the future using the LPG. The vehicle was luckily seized late at night and brought to the nearest security force base camp today morning”, Sunil Sharma, Sukma district police chief told The New Indian Express.
The Maoists, apprehensive of the forces following them abandoned the pickup and fled in the remote forest hilly terrain at Nagram about 85 km from the Sukma district headquarters. The forces counted the LPG cylinders in the pickup and didn't report any missing.
Sukma is among the seven Maoist-affected districts of the conflict zone of Bastar in south Chhattisgarh.