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In a major breakthrough, the Chhattisgarh police have arrested six persons, including self-styled Naxal commander Barsa Lakhma, who were allegedly involved in the gunning down of 76 security personnel in Dantewada in April.
"We have arrested six people, including Lakhma, on Sunday night from Morpali," said Superintendent of Police Amresh Mishra.
The six were allegedly involved in the killing of 75 CRPF personnel and one state police constable on April 6.
The arrested Maoists have told the officials during interrogation that the CRPF personnel had become sitting ducks after they lost the wireless set of the slain deputy commandant of the 62nd CRPF battalion.
Lakhma told them that the Maoists were keeping a close tab on the movement of the paramilitary personnel with the help of the wireless set.
The others arrested included Oyam Hidma, Podiyami Hidma, Kawasi Budra, Oya Ganga and Dura Joga. They were arrested from Minapa village, five kms from Tarmetla, the SP said.
They also told the police that they were keeping a close watch on CRPF personnel, even during the 'picnic' they had on April 5, when the deputy commandant of the CRPF lost his wireless set.
After the incident, these six people had given a detailed de-briefing to top Maoist leaders Ramanna and Paparao, during which the 'complacency' of the CRPF was also discussed, they told the interrogators.
According to the arrested Maoists, the CRPF company was selected as a target because they had stayed put in one place for an entire day and their movements were under constant watch by the Left-wing extremists, Mishra said.
The final kill was decided by Maoists after the wireless set started buzzing on April 6 at 3 pm, asking the men to get back to the ground and start searching for the lost wireless set of the deputy commandant, the arrested men said.
The arrest of the Maoists comes close on the heels of Centre's move to shunt out three officers of the CRPF.
Mishra and Inspector General T J Long Kumeer of Chhattisgarh police have been recommended to be transferred in the wake of the E R Rammohan report that had
allegedly blamed them for not properly planning the area domination exercise.
According to the probe, the 81-member CRPF team, along with a head-constable of the Chattisgarh police, did not leave for its mission on April 4 at the time -- 7 pm -- mentioned in the log book. The personnel comprising companies of the CRPF's 62nd battalion started moving into jungle areas only at 5 am the next day, despite instructions not to venture into forests during early morning hours, official sources said.
The CRPF company had spent its entire day in the same ground where they fell to the bullets of the Maoists in the wee hours of April 6. Senior personnel in the CRPF team had even summoned some people, including the head of the nearby village, and asked for large utensils to prepare meals for the entire group.
As per the operational drill, the CRPF and the police personnel had been strictly asked not to take any help from villagers or locals and maintain as much secrecy as possible while moving out.
The element of secrecy was missing in the operation as the CRPF company, after spending the entire day in the ground, shifted to a nearby hostel, besides ordering the villagers to bring cots and other material, the sources said.
The CRPF battalion was scheduled to position themselves atop a small hillock near the ground by dusk time, which was important for tactical reasons, including area domination.
The Centre had ordered an enquiry by Rammohan, who submitted his report on April 26, in which he talked about lack of coordination between the Chattisgarh police and the CRPF.