Operation against suspected militants in Andhra

A joint operation by the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu police is going on against suspected militants hiding in a house in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district, police said.

A Tamil Nadu police party had come under fire by the unidentified group Saturday morning when they were conducting a search operation in a residential area in Puttur town, which is 30 km from the famous temple town of Tirupati and close to Tamil Nadu.

A Tamil Nadu policeman was injured in the encounter while the police are reported to have recovered a gun and two bombs.

Policemen from both the states have surrounded the house where four to five alleged militants, including a woman and a child, are believed to be holed up. According to local residents, the group had taken the house on rent about a month ago.

Senior police officials from both the states have reached the spot.

A police officer in Hyderabad said personnel from OCTOPUS, the anti-terror wing of the Andhra Pradesh Police, were being sent to Puttur.