13 years later AK-47 looted by Maoist Basavaraju in Tadmetla ambush, recovered in Abujhmarh encounter

Time of India

7 days ago

Raipur: Days after successfully neutralizing Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, the General Secretary of CPI (Maoist) and one of India's most wanted militants, during a massive encounter in the Kudmel-Kalhaja-Jatloor forest region of Abujhmarh in Chhattisgarh on May 21, top police officials confirmed that the Dsitrict Reserve Guards have recovered back the AK 47 weapon looted by Basavaraju and associates from security forces during April 2010 Tadmetla ambush in Dantewada District.
DRG jawans had recovered several weapons from the site of encounter after the operation was over and an AK-47 rifle was identified as the one taken by Basavaraju and his associates during the Tadmetla ambush, a notorious attack that had claimed lives of 76 CRPF personnel.
Besides, there were weapons looted by Maoists in Burkapal and Gawdi massacre too, which were recovered back, police said in a statement.
In this decisive operation by the DRG, a total of 27 Maoists were killed, including Basavaraju, who carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore announced by the Government of Chhattisgarh.
Additional rewards had been declared by other LWE-affected states and central agencies. Among the deceased were two Maoists from Andhra Pradesh and three from Telangana, and the total bounty on all 27 neutralized cadres summed up to Rs 3.33 crore.
Of the 27 Maoist bodies recovered, 20 bodies were identified and handed over to their families. One such family, relatives of Kosi alias Hungi, requested local authorities in Narayanpur to conduct the cremation at the district headquarters itself, citing concerns over decomposition and health hazards.
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Seven bodies, including that of Basavaraju, remained unclaimed. As per legal protocol, these were cremated in Narayanpur with approval from the executive magistrate.
Investigators describe him as the architect of countless brutal attacks that left thousands of innocent tribals and hundreds of security personnel dead. He also played a central role in the forced recruitment of tribal youth, separating them from their families and radicalizing them into the Maoist ranks.
Police have begun sifting through 258 criminal cases believed to be directly or indirectly linked to Basavaraju. Narayanpur police are continuing further legal procedures and investigative work.
The CPI (Maoist) has since issued a press note admitting the loss of 28 cadres, including Basavaraju. The outfit is allegedly attempting to mobilize supporters across the country to organize events glorifying the slain militants. Authorities are closely monitoring underground Maoist cells and their urban sympathizers to pre-empt any attempts to incite unrest, police said.
Long-Lost Weapons Recovered
AK-47 rifles – 3
SLRs – 4
INSAS rifles – 6
.303 rifles – 6
Carbine – 1
12 Bore guns – 3
Country-made pistol – 1
BGL launcher – 1
Rocket launchers (Surka) – 2
Bharmaar – 2
Among these were weapons looted by Maoists in earlier ambushes:
April 2010 Tadmetla Attack (Dantewada District)
2010 Gawadi Ambush (Narayanpur District)
2017 Burkapal Massacre (Sukma District)