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The Indian Air Force M-17 crew, involved in an rescue operation in naxal hit south Bastar, left behind an injured Chhattisgarh Police radio operator in the jungles after their helicopter developed technical problems during an evacuation operation.
The M-17 helicopter was forced to land in south Bastar after it evaded Naxal gunfire but developed hydraulic problems. The IAF crew left behind the operator and the damaged helicopter, raising a question mark on the decision of pilot and co-pilot.
After the crash-landing, the two IAF pilots an engineer and two Garuda commandos apparently made their way to the police-paramilitary camp at Chintagufa three km away, leaving behind the injured police personnel.
Central Reserve Police Force commandos located the helicopter and rescued the injured radio operator several hours later.
A police personnel was killed and another severely injured in a gun battle at Timilwara under Chintagufa police station on the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border.
Mukesh Gupta, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), said ultras attacked the chopper when it was airlifting two injured security personnel in Dantewada district.
The senior police officer said during the mayhem, the helicopter was made to crash land at a nearby place and reason would be known later.
"They (Maoists) again fired on the helicopter when it was landing to airlift the injured. They also fired on our post. We fired back in retaliation. During the mayhem, the helicopter, the reason would be known later, was made to crash land at a near by place," he said.