Top woman Maoist leader held

A top woman leader of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) was apprehended on Saturday, even as the five Maoists killed in a shootout with police in Visakhapatnam district on the Andhra-Odisha border (AOB) on September 22 and 23 have been identified as those from neighbouring Chhattisgarh.

In the subsequent combing operations that were continuing, a top woman Maoist was apprehended by police after she sustained two bullet injuries.

AP Director General of Police D Gautam Sawang called it a "major blow" to the Maoists in the AOB area.

He said Sake Kalavati, alias Bhavani, who was an area committee member of the CPI (Maoist), sustained two bullet injuries in the exchange of fire.

"She was apprehended and produced in the local court at Rampachodavaram and later shifted to a hospital at Rajamahendravaram for treatment," the DGP said.

Bhavani is the wife of Maoist State Zonal Committee member Peddanna alias Jagan and has been an active member of the banned outfit for the last 20 years, ..