An “exchange of fire” took place between Maoists and a police combing party at Peddampeta forest area in Mahadevpur mandal of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district on Tuesday. No one was injured in the incident, police said.
The incident occurred when a police party came under fire from a group of armed ultras while conducting a combing operation at Peddampeta based on specific information about the movement of Maoist rebels in Mahadevpur forest fringe areas with an intention to resort to violence and destructive acts, police sources added.
When the police returned the fire in self-defence, the rebels fled the spot leaving eight kits bags, one .303 rifle, utensils, medical kits and a solar light at the site of “exchange of fire.”
Following the incident, the police launched an intensive search operation by deploying additional forces to scour the forest areas and maintain vigil at the ferry points in the areas close to the river Godavari to track down the ultras.
