26 Naxals arrested in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district

Bijapur, Sep 11 (PTI) At least 26 Naxals, six of them carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 13 lakh on their heads, were arrested from separate places in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Thursday, police said.

Eight Naxals each were apprehended from Awapalli and Usur, four from Tarrem and three each from Gangalur and Bhairamgarh police station limits, an official said.

The District Reserve Guard of the local police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) units were involved in the operation, he added.

Of the arrested Naxals, Munna Potam carried a bounty of Rs 8 lakh on his head and was active as a member of Battalion Number 1 of the outlawed Maoist outfit.

Rama Kaka was the Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangh (DAKMS) president and carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head. Both Potam and Kaka were held in Usur area.

Janatana Sarkar president Mani Madkam alias Gola Mandi was held from Tarrem police station limits. He carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh.

Arjun Atami alias Guddi, a militia section commander, and woman cadre Payko Madvi alias Soni alias Tokdi, a party member, were nabbed from Bhairamgarh area, the official said. The two carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh each on their heads.

Krishna Podiyam, nabbed from Awapalli police station limits, was a militia section commander and carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh.

An IED, `cooker bomb', tiffin bomb, wire, safety fuse, detonator multimeter, electric wire and a battery besides earth digging tools and Maoist banners, posters and pamphlets were recovered from the arrested Naxals, said the police official. PTI COR KRK