Female-led Naxalites raid police station in Andhra

Naxalites of the People's War Group (PWG) attacked the Nandigama police station in Krishna district with crude bombs very early yesterday morning, but police said no damage was done to the station considered to be in a safe area.

An estimated 50 Naxalites belonging to the Krishnapatti underground squad, led by a woman, went to the station in a Tata Sumo and a truck and threw the bombs apparently to panic the police only.

The Naxalites then beat up the sentries and began to look for weapons.

Finding none, they destroyed police files and fled into the neigbouring Guntur district crossing the Krishna river at Vedadri village. Police said they arrested one of the drivers.

After a recent alert, all rural police stations are made to deposit their weapons in a safer place fearing attack as the Naxalites are reportedly short of weapons in the north Telangana region, north coastal Andhra Pradesh, areas bordering Orissa and the Danda Karanya areas bordering the state of Chattisgarh, which the PWG's needs to equip its new People's Guerilla Army.

Following the alert, all 50 weapons kept at the Nandigama station were kept in a safe place, frustrating the latest of many recent Naxalite attacks.

In the Guntur district itself, a Naxalite of the also banned People's War (CPI-ML) was shot dead by police in an alleged encounter near the Beta Sannigandla village on the same day.

Police said a police search team spotted the militants, who opened fire first.

In the retaliatory fire, a 20-year-old Naxalite wanted by the police, from Kanchara village and a member of the Chandravanka underground squad was killed.