7 Naxals involved in last week attack on CRPF in C'garh arrested: Police

Seven Naxals, allegedly involved in the Kistaram mine protected vehicle (MPV) attack last week in which nine CRPF personnel were killed, were arrested today from Chhattigsarh's Sukma district, police said.

They were arrested during a search operation in the forests of Kistaram, around 500 km from state capital Raipur, Superintendent of Police (SP), Sukma, Abhishek Meena told PTI.

Personnel from the district police, District Reserve Group, Special Task Force, CRPF and the paramilitary force's elite CoBRA unit were involved in the operation, he said.

The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) is the CRPF's elite anti-naxal unit.

The SP said that the operation was launched after information about the presence of ultras in the forest.

"The cadres were rounded up on Saturday from an area under the Kistaram police station by a joint team of the security forces," Meena said.

On March, nine CRPF personnel were killed and two others injured after Maoists triggered a powerful landmine blast blowing up their MPV between Kistaram and Palodi paramilitary camps in Sukma.

The ultras were identified as Komram Sade (25), Madkam Joga (31), Madkam Hidma (30), Madkam Ganga (25), Vanjam Aayta (34), Vanjam Singa (32) and Madvi Sukka (30), the SP said.

They were active members of Maoist janmilitia in the Kistaram area he said.

"They were involved in the last week MPV attack," he said.