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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Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation will operate 1000 additional special services in view of the Christmas festival.

In addition to the existing schedule, the special services will run on 19.12.2025, 20.12.2025 and 24.12.2025. Further, special buses will be operated from various places of intra & Interstate places to Bengaluru on 26.12.2025 & 28.12.2025.

Special buses will be exclusively operated from Bengaluru Kempegowda Bus Station to Dharmastala, Kukkesubramanya, Shivamogga, Hassan, Mangaluru, Kundapura, Shringeri, Horanadu, Davangere, Hubbali, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Gokarna, Sirsi, Karwar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Koppala, Yadgir, Bidar, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Hyderabad and other places.

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Special buses from Mysuru Road Bus Station will be exclusively operated towards Mysuru, Hunsur, Piriyapatna, Virajpet, Kushalanagar, Madikeri.

The corporation has also announced a discount of 5 per cent on the fare if four or more passengers book tickets under a single reservation. A discount of 10 per cent will be extended on return journey tickets if onward and return tickets are booked simultaneously.

In addition to the above, special buses will be operated from all Taluk/District Bus Stands in the jurisdiction of KSRTC based on the traffic needs.