RAIPUR: Actionable intelligence from surrendered Maoists about the movements of supreme commander Basavaraju alias Nambala Keshav Rao, general secretary of the CPI (Maoist), in the Abujhmad area of Narayanpur, helped security forces neutralise him and 26 others in an encounter on Wednesday, said sources.
Most of the left-wing rebels killed along with Basavaraju were his bodyguards and trained cadres of the military wing of the outfit.
According to a source, crucial inputs were given by recently surrendered Maoists in south Bastar region about the probable locations and activity of Basavaraju and other senior leaders in the region of Abujhmad, covering the districts of Narayanpur and Bijapur in south Bastar.
One of the Maoists who provided the information had reportedly served as an armed guard in the team engaged to escort and provide protection to Basavaraju.
Abujhmad, a hilly terrain in south Chhattisgarh, has been the hideout of senior leaders and commanders of the CPI (Maoist) for decades.
Following the inputs, a discreet plan of action was chalked out during the past couple of weeks to reach his location, the source added.
The encounter took place after a a 50-hour search operation by the security forces.
"The elimination of the topmost Maoist commander is a huge achievement towards securing freedom for Bastar region from the terror of left-wing extremists. Maoism is now taking its last breath in Chhattisgarh. The pledge taken by our Prime Minister and Home Minister will be surely met. Such stern actions against the Maoists will continue till the menace gets wiped out," Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai told media persons on Thursday.
Basavaraju carried a bounty of Rs 3.25 crore on his head, said the CM. This included Rs 1 crore from the Chhattisgarh government, Rs 1 crore from the Union Home Ministry, Rs 50 lakh from the NIA and Rs 25 lakh each from the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, CM Sai elucidated.
Meanwhile on Thursday, a member of the 210th battalion of CoBRA, the elite unit of the CRPF, and a Maoist were killed during an exchange of fire in an anti-Maoist operation in Bijapur district.
The state home minister Vijay Sharma divulged that so far 424 Maoists have been neutralised in separate encounters across Chhattisgarh since 2024.
