Naxals blow up mobile phone tower in Gadchiroli

Nagpur, Dec 3 (UNI) Suspected naxalites blew up a tower of a private mobile telephone company in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, police said today.

A group of armed naxalites blew up the tower, in village Girola in Dhanora tehsil of the district, yesterday with the help of explosives. The tower had been erected in July last, police said.

Before blowing up the tower, the outlaws called the watchman outside, and fled after destroying the structure, they said.

Meanwhile, four to five naxalites are suspected to have been injured in an encounter with police in the district late last night.

The encounter took place when a group of suspected naxalites triggered a landmine blast and opened fire at a squad carrying out combing operation in the deep jungles in the district, according to police sources. Finding police gaining the upper hand, the outlaws fled, police said.

From the amount of blood on the spot, it is suspected that four or five naxals might have sustained serious injuries, the sources said.

The police later seized two rifles, two kilogram explosives, a detonator, a bundle of wire and other naxalite material from the spot, the sources added.

UNI