Israeli drones, used for aerial surveillance, along with ground battles, have helped eliminate 22 Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Abhujmad forest this year. This brings the total number of Maoists neutralised to 97 since last year, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The drones fly 15,000 feet above the ground and can capture images of Maoist hideouts even through fog and darkness. They send real-time videos and photos to the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), which analyses the data.
This helps security forces launch attacks deep into the rebels' forest strongholds, which were previously thought to be unreachable.
“Using NTRO’s data, our strategy is now to target the top leaders of the CPI(Maoist). We are closely monitoring their movements and waiting for the right time to strike,” said an officer working on the mission to eliminate Maoism by March 2026, as set by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
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Last week, NTRO’s input led to a successful operation that killed 14 Maoists, including Jairam Reddy, also known as Chalapati, a central committee member with a bounty of Rs 1 crore.
In 2024, 75 Maoists were killed by security forces, while the rebels killed 15 security personnel.
MHA sources say the rebels being targeted include Nambala Keshava Rao, or Bashavraju, the general secretary of the banned group, who also has a Rs 1 crore bounty.
Other leaders being hunted include Mallojula Venugopal Rao (Sonu), Thippiri Tirupathi (Devji), Madvi Hidma, and Katakam Sudarshan. Each of them has a bounty of Rs 1 crore, and there are nine other Maoists with a Rs 40 lakh bounty on their heads.
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Venugopal's brother, Kishanji, a key Maoist leader, was killed in an encounter in West Bengal in 2011.
Mupalla Lakshman Rao, also known as Ganapahy, the former general secretary of CPI(Maoist), has a massive Rs 3 crore bounty on his head. Despite resigning in 2018, his influence still plays a major role in the group’s armed operations.
With NTRO’s help, security forces are moving into previously unreachable areas and setting up more posts in Abhujmad forest, which spans 3,900 sq km.
The operation is being carried out by the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Chhattisgarh police, with the help of Special Police Officers (SPOs), many of whom are local tribal youths with knowledge of the region and anti-Maoist sentiments.
These SPOs have become crucial in the success of the operation.
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