Team of District Reserve Guard trek through Dantewada jungles carrying Maoists on cot

A team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) on Sunday trekked 12-km through the jungles of Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district carrying an injured Maoist commander to a hospital, police said.

Madkam Hidma, who was carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, is undergoing treatment for gangrene in the district hospital. He developed it as he had got injured by falling into a spike hole in the jungle few days ago.

"Mr Hidma, a member of Malangir Area Committee of Maoists, fell into the hole while escaping a search operation that was launched by the DRG personnel. His companions left him in the hole and fled the spot," a senior police officer said.

"The Maoist somehow came out of the hole and took shelter in a nearby village. He was being treated with herbs for his injury," said senior police officer from Dantewada, Abhishek Pallav.

When the DRG team came to know about him, they reached the house where he was being treated in the Sukma district and carried him to the district hospital.

"The policemen braved all odds, trekked through the jungle carrying him on a cot and brought him to the district hospital here," Mr Pallav said.

The Maoist was active in Malangir since 2008 and was expert in planting IEDs, the police said.