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Updated: May 02, 2019 17:23 IST

A Maoist commander who is alleged to be one of the plotters in the Dantewada attack that killed BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four policemen last month was shot dead in an encounter on Thursday, police said.

Commander Madavi Muiya(29) was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head and was active in Malangir area committee of CPI (Maoist) where the Bhartiya Janata Party MLA was killed on April 9, the police added.

“Muiya, a resident of Aranpur in Dantewada, was one of the executors of the attack in which the MLA and four policemen were killed and was also involved in the killing of Doordarshan journalist last year,” said SP Dantewada Abhishek Pallav.

He said that a rifle and two magazines of AK-47 were also recovered from the spot after the encounter.

“Muiya was also the member of battalion number 1 of CPI (Maoist) in 2017, headed by Madvi Hidma and involved in Burkapal attack on April 24, 2017, in Sukma in which 25 CRPF personnel were killed,” said Pallav adding that Muiya was also one of the planners of Bhejji attack in which 12 CRPF personnel were killed in March 2017 in south Sukma.

“In 2014, in Budgum encounter in Dantewada district his brother, Dewa Muiya, was killed and after this to avenge his brother’s death he came to Dantewada. Since then, he was present in every attack in Dantewada,” said an officer posted in the region.

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The officer further said that in March 2018, he was detained by CRPF in Dantewada but was released later because of non-identification. “The CRPF was not able to recognise him and later his identification was made by one of surrendered Maoist in Dantewada,” said the officer.

“The major organizational expansion of Maoists in Aranpur and Kuakonda axis was due to Muiya,” the SP added.

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