Eye in the sky reveals Maoist lairs with ease
Without green cover Maoists have few places to hide.
Adilabad: Satellite maps or images being obtained by the police with the help of latest technology is giving the police a key to fight against the Maoist menace.
This became evident with a series of encounters that took place in Gadchiroli in Maharashtra and Bheejapur in Chhattisgarh recently.
Nearly 46 Maoists were killed in these encounters that took place along the border of Telangana from April 22.
It is said that Anti- Maoists Forces C-60 and CRPF, Greyhounds and Kobra forces had cornered the Maoists from all the corners in the recent encounters.
Summer season has once again proved to be a death blow to the Maoists. The forest is now transparent with the deciduous trees shedding leaves. Water scarcity has also forced the Maoists to confine to places where water is available like riversides.
Satellite maps being obtained by the police in Maharashtra, Telangana and Chattisgarh, with the help of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has been giving them an edge against the Maoists, especially during Summer. The first encounter took place in Thadgoam, just 58 km from the centre of the river Pranahitha.
Satellite maps exposed the hide outs of the Maoists and their frequent gatherings in the dry forests, on the borders of Indravathi river, where more than 40 Maoists died recently. It is said that only 22 bodies were identified among the 40 Maoists in Maharashtra.
According to sources, recently, the police in Maharashtra, Chhattiasgarh and Telangana are coordinating and adopting a multipronged strategy to kill the Maoists.
The strategy includes using high-end technology, drone cameras with high resolution and using the help of coverts and developing informant networks.
Police said that nearly 60-65 Maoists of four ‘Dalams’ had gathered and were attending a plenary at Thadgoam village, in Bhamragadh area, in Gadchiroli district.
The first ‘encounter’ took place based on the information that three groups were gathering at Bhamragadh to take decisions in connection with the beedi leaves’ collection and demanding money from the contractors.