Woman Naxalite carrying reward of Rs 6 lakh arrested in Gadchiroli

A woman Naxalite, who was allegedly involved in attacks on security forces and carried a reward of Rs 6 lakh, was arrested in Maharashtras Gadchiroli, police said on Monday. Gota was allegedly involved in the shootout between the police and Maoists in the Kedmara forest area of Bhamragad in April 2023, firing on police parties in the Kachalaram forest area in Chhattisgarh, among other incidents of violence, the release said.

A woman Naxalite, who was allegedly involved in attacks on security forces and carried a reward of Rs 6 lakh, was arrested in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli, police said on Monday. Rajeshwari alias Kamla Padga Gota (30), a native of Bijapur district in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, was apprehended from a forest along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border on Sunday, the police said in a release. Gota was allegedly involved in the shootout between the police and Maoists in the Kedmara forest area of Bhamragad in April 2023, firing on police parties in the Kachalaram forest area in Chhattisgarh, among other incidents of violence, the release said. She was arrested in 2019 and released a year later. She was an area committee member in the tailoring team under the Dandkaranya Special Zonal Committee, it stated.

The Maharashtra government had announced a reward of Rs 6 lakh for her capture, it said.

As many as 73 hardcore Maoists have been arrested since January 2022 due to the intensified operations conducted by the Gadchiroli police under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Neelotpal, the release said.