2008 Balimela attack which killed 37 Greyhounds is avenged: Police

Hyderabad: A team of AP Greyhounds launched a massive attack on the Maoist state-level meet camp on October 24 morning in the thick forests on the AP-Odisha border using rocket launchers, INSAS and AK-47 rifles.

They had only one aim. Avenge the killing of their comrades in Balimela eight years ago. Around 37 Greyhound commandos were killed in July 2008 when Maoists attacked them in the Balimela reservoir.

Using the same terrain advantage that Maoists had then, the Greyhounds attacked killing 24 Maoists including two state committee members B. Venkataramana alias Ganesh and Ch. Krishnaiah alias Daya of Nalgonda, six divisional committee members and two area committee members.

Maoist military expert B. Venkataramana alias Ganesh of AOB state committee and Munna alias Vikram, son of Ramakrishna alias RK and  Maoist top gun Ramakrishna may have escaped from the scene.

A top AP police official said, “The encounter took place near the Balimela reservoir. We found 24 weapons of Maoists and lost Greyhounds weapons. It was a meticulously planned operation.”

A senior intelligence official said, “Maoists might have been overconfident that we wouldn’t reach them. It was a state committee meeting of AOB. It is true that choppers got delayed in reaching the spot as we do not have them readily available. However, it has nothing to do with the death of commando Abu Bakr as he had already died at the spot."

Revolutionary poet Vara Vara Rao said, “Munna was a 23-year-old. He went underground without writing his Intermediate exams. His mother was arrested in 2010 in Odisha when she went to meet her husband RK and son Munna. Police planned this encounter to avenge Balimela.”

Daya was underground for 27 years and had been working in the AOB area since many years and was carrying a reward of '20 lakh on his head.