The police on Tuesday launched aerial surveillance using a helicopter in the Kambamala area in Wayanad to check the Maoist menace.
The police have strengthened their combing operations in the forest areas of Kambamala following the recurring presence and attacks by the proscribed group in the area. The police are also using drones to identify the hideouts of the Maoists and track their movements.
Apart from Thunderbolts, the elite commandos of the Kerala Police, a huge posse of the police force has also been mobilised for the combing operation. The Naxalite Special Duty Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police and their counterparts in Karnataka are also assisting the operations.
Three-pronged approach
The exercise follows a three-pronged approach, gather intelligence on the Maoists, ensure security to the people in the area, and foil the attempts by the Maoists to draw village youth into their movement.
The helicopter landed at the Wayanad Government Engineering College ground around 10.40 a.m. The aerial surveillance began around 11 a.m. A five-member team led by District Police Chief Padam Singh flew over the Kambamala, Thalappuzha, Makkimala, Periya, Thirunelly, Padinharethara, and Kunhome areas in the district, Aralam area in Kannur district and Ambalappara area on the Kerala-Karnataka border. The sortie lasted around an hour and 40 minutes.
To continue
The exercise would continue in the coming days, Mr. Singh told The Hindu. Patrolling and vehicle checking would be continued in the district, a forest tri-junction bordering Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, he said.
Armed militants of the group had vandalised the office of the Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) a few weeks ago and later they reportedly damaged a surveillance camera installed by the police in the area to monitor their movements.
