Bhubaneswar, May 1 (IANS) Maoists operating in Chhattisgarh are now entering Odisha as insurgents in the eastern state have lost support from the Odia people to carry out their operations, a top police official said on Sunday.
"They don't have local support and operate with Chhattisgarh cadres mostly," Odisha's Director General of Police K.B. Singh told reporters here.
Following a spurt in Maoist activities in areas bordering Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand, operations would be intensified in these areas very soon, he said.
On Saturday, Odisha Police along with the Special Operations Group (SOG) killed three women Maoists -- suspected to be from Chhattisgarh -- in a gunfight at Aampani ghat in Kalahandi district.
He said police this year have been involved in eight gin battles with Maoists, where four Maoist cadres were killed and three camps were busted.
Special Director and ADG (Intelligence) Arun Kumar Sarangi said that among the listed Maoist cadres, 15 percent were in Odisha, 55 percent in Chhattisgarh, 15 percent in Andhra Pradesh and the remaining 15 percent in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
