Naxals gunning for new weapons

The Maoists who attacked a police posse in Gadchiroli on Thursday were heading for a distant outpost to seize the modern weapons used by commandos in Naxal-hit areas, senior officers believe. The extremists seized at least 20 sophisticated weapons after the encounter.

Officers investigating the incident said that 150 well-armed Maoists were on their way to the Laheri outpost. They were aware that the commandos were armed with self-loading rifles, mortars, rocket launchers, and other modern equipment.

“The rebels had learnt of a government plan to deploy 70,000 paramilitary forces to launch a decisive drive against them,” a senior officer said. “In an effort to improve their firepower, the Maoists planned to rob the police of their weapons.

“Thursday’s attempt was part of that ploy. Had they reached the outpost, they could have stolen the entire stock of arms and ammunition.”