RAIPUR: In one of the deadliest attacks on security forces, 12 CRPF personnel were today killed and their arms looted when Naxals ambushed their patrol party in the Maoist hotbed of Sukma in Chhattisgarh.
Four personnel were also injured in the attack, two of whom are stated to be critical.
The incident occurred at 9:15 AM in the dense forests near Kottacheru village under Bhejji police station, around 450 kms away from the State capital, when 112 personnel of CRPF’s 219th battalion were out for a road opening task.
“This is the biggest attack by Naxals on security forces this year. It is estimated that a hundred-plus Maoist squad was present in the area when the ambush was launched. These are preliminary inputs,” a senior Chhattisgarh official told reporters.
The Naxals looted ten weapons, including six INSAS rifles, four AK-47s, a light machine gun, 1,587 bullet rounds, an under-barrel grenade launcher, a 51mm mortar, two para bombs and two radio sets from the killed men, officials said. (AGENCIES)
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