2 Maoists held in Wayanad following gun battle with Kerala Police's commando teams
Wayanad (Ker) (PTI): Two Maoists - a man and a woman- were apprehended following a gun battle in a forest area here late on Tuesday night, police said.
The apprehended Maoists have been identified as Chandru and Unnimaya, a police official said on Wednesday.
The encounter broke out between Kerala Police's specialised teams and Maoists in the Periya area under Thalappuzha police station limit, police said.
The incident occurred when a group of Maoists, reportedly five in number, sought shelter in a house to charge their mobile phones, police sources said.
During the operation, three members of the group managed to escape from the scene, they said.
The apprehended Maoists have been taken to a police camp nearby for questioning, the sources added.
Kerala Police teams had launched a combing operation in the area based on intelligence inputs received from a Maoist messenger apprehended on Tuesday in neighbouring Kozhikode district.
During the operation, the Maoists opened fire at the Special Operation Group (SOG) and the Thunderbolt Squad, both elite commando forces of the state police, sources said.
Last month, a group of Maoists, armed with sophisticated weapons, had arrived at a private resort in Makkimala in Thalappuzha and taken control of the manager's mobile phone to send a statement to the media regarding issues faced by estate workers.
The ultras, six in number, had allegedly insisted on obtaining the mobile phone from the hotel staff, subsequently instructing him to WhatsApp their statement to a select group of journalists.
Police then had registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Arms Act in connection with this incident.
Recently, there have been reports of suspected Maoist presence in various forest-fringe hamlets in Wayanad and neighbouring Kannur districts.
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Patna-bound IndiGo flight makes emergency landing at Lucknow due to bad weather
Lucknow (PTI): Adverse weather forced an IndiGo Kolkata-Patna flight to make an emergency landing at Lucknow airport on Friday, airport sources said.
According to airport officials, weather conditions in Patna deteriorated suddenly on Friday afternoon, affecting flight operations.
IndiGo flight 6E 6917 from Kolkata, which was scheduled to land in Patna at 3.50 pm, could not land due to bad weather and kept circling in the air after failing to get clearance from air traffic control, they said.
The flight was later diverted to Lucknow and landed safely at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at around 5.15 pm. There were 180 passengers and six crew members on board, officials said.
The aircraft was later allowed to depart for Patna after weather conditions improved.
