Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres exchanged fire with a team of elite C-60 Commandos in Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra on May 27, in which Maoists used an Under-Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), reports Devdiscourse. No security personnel were injured in the incident; however, Police recovered a Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), some .303 rifles, a 12-bore gun and seven shells of UBGL from the encounter spot. The UBGL had marks indicating that the ammunition was made for Central Security Forces and Maoists may have stolen it, a Police official said. The incident occurred around 9 am at Dhanora Tehsil (revenue unit) in the District, around 910 kilometres from the State Capital, when a team of C-60 Commandos was on a combing operation, the official said, adding, as the team reached Kattegari forest, they spotted three civilians, who started running after seeing the men in uniform. After issuing a warning, Police opened fire but the trio ran towards dense forest where 'Company-4' of a Maoist dalam (armed squad) was hiding, he said, adding that a gun battle ensued between the Commandos and the Maoists. The Security Forces (SFs) retaliated when a heavy firing came from a hilltop by the Maoists. Later, unable to face the SFs, the Maoists then fled into deep forest.
Meanwhile, a Maoist cadre surrendered before the Police in Gondia District of Maharashtra on May 27, reports The Week. Jagdish alias Mahesh alias Vijay Agnu Gawde, a native of Korchi in neighbouring Gadchiroli District, turned himself in before Superintendent of Police (SP), Vinita Sahu, Additional Collector Ashok Latare and other administration officials. Addressing a press conference, Sahu said Gawde was an active member of the Korchi Kurkheda Dalam (armed squad) and served as a bodyguard of CPI-Maoist’s ‘Central Committee, CC’ member Milind Teltumde till recently. Sahu said the dalam was active in areas spread over Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Gawde, engaged in Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] activities since 2012, was involved in many Naxal incidents, including firing at several places.