Ahead of the State bandh called by Maoists on July 25, special police teams have fanned out in the forest areas of Manuguru and its adjoining Agency mandals on Thursday, mounting an intensive search for ultras in the once naxal bastions.
A massive cordon and search was launched by several dozens of police teams in the remote tribal hamlets lying along the forest fringes of Manuguru, Karakagudem and Gundala mandals in the early hours of the day to trace the rebels, sources said. Amid intermittent rain, the personnel of the anti-naxal squads scoured the forest areas spanning across the Agency mandals.
The police intensified search operations in and around the Mallepallithogu forest area in Karakagudem mandal where an exchange of fire took place between Maoists and police on July 15, sources added. The Bhadrachalam sub-division police have ramped up security at vital installations in the Agency areas in the wake of Maoists torching road construction equipment at Battinapalli village in Charla mandal on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, pamphlets bearing the name of CPI (Maoist) State committee have reportedly surfaced in some remote habitations in Charla mandal in the early hours of Thursday. The rebels, through the pamphlets, renewed their appeal to the people to extend support to the July 25 State bandh called by their outfit demanding the release of ailing veteran poet Varavara Rao from Maharashtra jail, a success.
