Naxals may have fled to Andhra: Cops

RAIPUR: Police think the Maoists who killed 16 cops in an ambush in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh have fled to Andhra, where most of the Naxal leaders are holed up and training camps are located.
"The state border is hardly 10 km from the spot and the Andhra Pradesh police can reach the spot in no time," said a senior officer from the anti-Naxalite wing.
State home minister Ramvichar Netam told TOI, "Five of the police personnel have returned but the chances of survival of the remaining 16 are bleak."
Friday's attack follows the raid on October 29 in which five Special Police Officers (SPOs) were killed and three injured near Basaguda village in the Maoist-infested Bijapur district in Bastar.
The attack also highlights how the government leaves junior cops open and vulnerable. The Pamed police station, about 600 km south of Raipur, was one of the outposts that the government had considered shutting down because there was no way to reach logistical support to those deployed there.
"A proposal to shut down the Pamed police station had been submitted to the Chhattisgarh government as it is located in the liberated zone and in case of an attack, defence is not possible," said a senior officer.