Two Naxalites gunned down in encounter with cops in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur
Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): Two Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, police said.
The exchange of fire broke out in a forest along the Indravati river in the morning when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, a senior police official said.
After guns fell silent, bodies of two Naxalites, clad in uniform, along with a Self-Loading Rifle, an Insas rifle and a 12-bore rifle were recovered from the spot, he said.
Search operation was still underway, he added.
With this action, at least 25 Maoists have been killed in separate encounters in the state so far this year.
Earlier, 14 Maoists were gunned down in two encounters on January 3 in the Bastar region, which comprises seven districts, including Bijapur.
Last year, 285 Maoists were killed in various encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh.
The Centre has set a deadline of March 31 this year to eradicate Left-Wing Extremism from the country.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rajasthan man in search of his SUV assaulted, robbed in Bengaluru; one held
Bengaluru (PTI): A 32-year-old man from Rajasthan who travelled to Bengaluru to retrieve his missing SUV was allegedly assaulted and robbed, police said on Thursday.
The victim, Chandra Prakash, a resident of Jodhpur, had lent his SUV to his friend Mahendra Gujjar over a year ago on the assurance that it would be returned within a few weeks, they said.
When the vehicle was not returned, he lodged a complaint with the local police in Jodhpur last year, but no progress was made.
According to police, Prakash then allegedly used a mobile application to track his vehicle’s location and found that it was being driven in Bengaluru. On February 23, he reached the city with a spare key, located the SUV parked by the roadside in east Bengaluru and drove it away after unlocking it.
Around 11.10 pm, as he neared Bommanahalli Circle, three men on a two-wheeler intercepted him. When he questioned them, an argument ensued and the trio allegedly assaulted him with an iron rod and a helmet, a senior police officer said.
The accused allegedly robbed him of two mobile phones and fled with the SUV. Prakash sustained injuries and was shifted to a hospital for treatment, he said.
Based on his complaint, Mangilal Choudary (40), a businessman from Rajasthan, was arrested in connection with the incident, police said, adding that efforts are being made to nab the other two suspects.
During interrogation, Choudary told police he had extended a friendly loan to an acquaintance who defaulted and that the SUV was given as security, police said.
Gujjar had allegedly borrowed money from acquaintances and passed the vehicle to a friend of Choudary, who later returned it to him. The SUV and the two mobile phones have been recovered, they added.
