UP police. (PTI photo)

BHUBANESWAR/ KORAPUT: The police have sounded alert in Malkangiri and Nuapada districts in view of the Maoists ambushing 25 CRPF personnel at Sukma in Chhattisgarh , about 45 km from Malkangiri border and 250 km from Nuapada.

Anticipating that the rebels would try to escape to safety in the bordering districts, where there is contiguity of forests, the security personnel in both the districts have been asked to stay prepared.

DIG (south-western range) S Shyni said the force has been asked to remain alert. “Although there is least possibility of the rebels intruding into Nuapada, the Malkangiri district remains vulnerable as the place of incident is close to it,” she said.

Police said additional force including Special Operation Group commandos, district voluntary force and BSF have rushed to the border areas. All possible entry points across the border including waterways have been sealed. Vehicles entering inside the district are being thoroughly frisked.

Superintendent of police (Malkangiri) Mitrabhanu Mohapatra said though the incident occurred close to Maharastra from Chhattisgarh side quite far from our border districts of Odisha we can’t be complacent. The rebels may try to make their way into our territory. We have activated the counter-insurgency operations,” he said.

The Nuapada district, which has been witnessing Maoist violence since 2008 mostly because of safe passage of the Maoists from Chhattisgarh through the forests, has been put on alert. “We can’t reveal the operational details. But, the BSF and other security personnel have been given instructions to keep a close watch on the vulnerable areas where Maoists has used their safe haven in the past,” said SP (Nuapada) Sandip Sampat.

Police sources said because of regular combing operation in Malkangiri, the Maoists of late are in the back foot.

The Monday’s attack is one of the deadliest in the state’s neighbor with around 300 Maoists launching a planned attack on the security personnel, who were deployed to help construction of a road.

