KADAPA: Top Maoist leader Obulesu and eight other naxalites, including four women, were killed in a fierce gun battle with the police in the Gopavaram reserve forests in Kadapa district on Friday.

Apart from Obulesu, who was State Committee member and Rayalaseema divisional committee secretary, the others slain in the encounter included his wife, Prasanthi, who was Guntur district secretary and Mallkarjuna, Anantapur district secretary. Police said that the remaining naxalites were yet to be identified.

Naxals open fire

The gun battle took place when special police parties accosted a group of 31 Maoists, while they were holding a meeting at Eddu Mora hillocks, six kms from Varrevaripalle village in Gopavaram mandal. The naxalites opened fire when the police appealed to them to surrender.

The police retaliated killing nine of them while the rest escaped, Kadapa Superintendent of Police Y. Nagi Reddy told reporters who trekked to the encounter spot in Gopavaram reserve forests.

Police recovered an AK-47 rifle, four .303 rifles, three SLRs, a SBBL gun, another SBBM gun, two carbines and an 8 mm pistol from the spot. Mr. Nagi Reddy said six special parties were combing the area to nab them.

Severe setback

The slaying of Obelesu, who carried a reward of Rs.10 lakhs and allegedly involved in the Alipiri blast, is perceived by police as a severe setback to the CPI (Maoist).

CPI ( Maoist) Rayalaseema Divisional Committee has been virtually wiped out in the encounter which occurred within months after the encounter in Prakasam district in which Maoist State Secretary Madhav was gunned down. Director General of Police Swaranjit Sen said, "The Maoists' presence has been neutralised in the area after this encounter."

In the last major encounter in Kadapa district, nine naxals were gunned down in Seshachalam forests in Tsundupalle on April 28 this year.

Two naxals killed

Warangal Staff Reporter writes: Two naxals belonging to Prathighatana group were killed in an exchange of fire with the police in the wee hours of Friday in Kodakandla mandal in Warangal district. They were identified as: Ghanapuram Seenu, who was Warangal Nalgonda zonal committee secretary of Prathighatana party and K Kondaiah, Jangoan area committee secretary of the Prathighatana. Both earlier worked in Janashakti group.

According to Jangaon DSP V. Sailu, the exchange of fire took place around 5 am near Polakonda hillocks. The Prathighatana group which had observed the martyrs memorial week forcibly collected huge sums from the quarry proprietors and contractors in the area.

Following the complaints from traders and contractors, the police launched intensive combing operations in the Palakurthy, Kodakandla and other mandals in Jangoan division.

Constable killed

Khammam Staff Reporter writes: A Special Armed Reserve constable, Vishnu Mishra (37), was killed in a landmine blast triggered by the CPI (Maoist) near Darbaguda, in neighbouring Dantawada district of Chattisgarh around 11 a.m. on Friday.

Another constable, Abdul Shaheed, was severely injured. His condition was said to be critical.

The landmine was blasted targeting a police party on a routine road-checking duty. A rocket launcher and a .303 rifle were taken away by the Maoists from the police.

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