Combing operations on against Maoists, weapons recovered: HM

Bengaluru: Minister for Home G. Parameshwara said on Wednesday that the police and special forces have launched a search operation against Maoists in the state, saying that the authorities have also recovered weapons. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said that the combing operations are taken up for three to four days following the spotting of four to six naxals.

“The group included naxal leader Mundagaru Latha and others. On Tuesday, the officers found few weapons in the combing operations and the search operations are going on,” he added.

Meanwhile, sources said that the Anti-Naxal Force (NAF) and authorities have launched a combing operation in the Karkala region of Udupi district of the coastal region.

“The drones and dog squads are used for search operations in forests and isolated areas. A high alert has been issued in Sringeri, Koppa, Mudigere and Kalasa taluks of Chikkamagaluru district,” they said.

They added that the authorities have seized two guns in the search operations at a house in Kadegundi village in Chikkamagaluru and detained two persons.

“The case has been lodged in this regard with Jayapura police station, sources stated. The search operation was also launched in other parts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts,” sources said.

They said that the intelligence had gathered inputs about the movement of Maoists in the region and it was confirmed by the locals, adding that the Maoists are believed to have gone into the thick forests of the Western Ghat.