Combing operation after police officer's death

An intense combing operation by the CRPF and elite special operation group is underway from Wednesday in Odisha’s Nuapada district where a police officer was shot dead after being kidnapped by Maoists.

The operations were concentrated around the Sunabeda Sanctuary bordering Chhatisgarh where the body of assistant sub-inspector, Kruparam Majhi, was found with three gunshot wounds on Tuesday, deputy inspector general of police (south-west), Soumendra Priyadarshi said.

 The DIG said the killing of the tribal police officer proved that the Maoists claim of working for tribals and the poor was hollow. “The combing operation has been intensified by security personnel in Sunabeda Sanctuary area,” he said.

Forces have been deployed at strategic points to prevent movement of the extremists on the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border. The slain ASI was accorded a guard of honour at the Reserve Police Lines here.

The 44-year-old ASI of Dharmabandha outpost, was escorting a water tanker to a CRPF camp at Goudha with a constable on a motorcycle when they were stopped by a group of about 30 armed Maoists on Tuesday. While the constable fled, the Maoists took away the ASI at gunpoint and shot him dead.