After killing 22 CRPF personnel recently, Maoists set vehicles on fire in Chattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Sunday afternoon.

The vehicles included two mixture machines, two poklane machines and a tractor, engaged in construction of a water plant.

The incident took place under the jurisdiction of Naimed police station, where a WTP is being built on the bank of Mingachal river to supply potable water to Bijapur town, a media report quoted an official as saying.

“A dozen armed ultras reached the construction site, located around 450 kilometres from Raipur, and threatened the vehicle and machine operators to halt construction activities. They then set ablaze two concrete mixing machines, two earth movers and a tractor before fleeing from the spot,” the report quoted the official as saying.

A team of police personnel rushed to the spot to apprehend the Maoist rebels, who were involved in the incident, the cop said.

Meanwhile, a hardcore Naxal having bounty of Rs 1 lakh on his head was killed during an encounter with security forces in Dantewada, a Maoist insurgency-hit district, police said on Sunday.

Inspector general of police (Bastar) Sundarraj P said, “In an exchange of fire between Dantewada DRG and Maoists of Katekalyan area committee at around 2 pm, between jungles of gaadam and jungampal, one Maoist’s body was recovered.”

The Maoist was identified as Vetti Hunga, militia commander and he carried a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, the police officer informed.

The police officer said more Maoists are suspected to have been either killed or seriously injured in the retaliatory action.

Dantewada SP Abhishek Pallava said one 8 mm pistol and one country-made muzzle loading gun was recovered from the spot.

A 2kg IED, crackers, two pithoo with Maoist literature, medicines and items of daily were also recovered from the encounter site, the SP said.

The SP said medicines were found during the search operation in the site of encounter.

The police officer said the medicines were used in the government hospital.

It is being investigated to know how the medicines reached the Maoists.