Two naxals killed in encounter in AP village

Hyderabad, June 21 (UNI) Two CPI(Maoist), including a woman were killed in an encounter in Khammam district, even as another exchange of fire took place in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh today.

While there was no loss of life in the exchange of fire, reports said that Maoist leader Sudhakar escaped narrowly.

Sudhakar was among the three Maoists leaders, who took part in the peace talks with the Andhra Pradesh Government in 2004.

A police party, which was combing the Bhadrachalam limits of Khammam district came across a group of naxals in the Yedugurallapalli forest area. When the police asked the ultras to surrender, they opened fire at them. In the exchange of gunfire, two naxalites were killed by the police.

The dead insurgents were yet to be identified, police said adding that a revolver and a tapancha were recovered from the place of the encounter.

In another incident, police spotted a group of CPI(Maoists) during the combing operations at Errasamanthavalasa village in Vizianagaram district and asked them to surrender. The naxals opened fire and the police retailiated. However, there were no casualities in the gunfire. The Maoists managed to escape from the scene.

After the firing stopped, one AK-47 rifle, three magazines and one transistor were recovered by the police.

The recovery of an AK-47 rifle from the spot gives rise to the presence of top cadre of the Maoists in the area.

The police arrested K Krishna Murthy (43) and his wife Kolli Uma Devi (38) from the spot. The couple confessed to the police that they had come to meet the 'Dalam' and to conduct recee and to provide information about the movement of security forces in the area.

UNI ASJ/BSR PA DB2144