In a major incident involving Telangana Police, three junior commandos of the elite Greyhounds anti-Maoist force were killed early on Thursday in a landmine explosion allegedly planted by Maoists along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border. This incident marks the first fatal encounter for the state police in Left-Wing Extremist (LWE) operations in 2025.
According to senior officials, the explosion occurred near the Veerabhadravaram-Tadapala hillocks within the Wazeedu&ndash;Perur forest area of Mulugu district, while the personnel were carrying out a routine area domination exercise.&nbsp;
All three were junior commandos holding the rank of constable in the Greyhounds. &ldquo;There are no other casualties. The incident happened during a routine area domination exercise. It was not part of any joint operation with CRPF or neighbouring state police,&rdquo; a senior Telangana Police official told a media outlet.&nbsp;
The blast site lies in Mulugu district, one of Telangana&rsquo;s most Maoist-affected regions, along with the adjoining Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, both sharing a border with Chhattisgarh. At the time of reporting, the bodies of the deceased commandos had yet to reach the district headquarters and their identities had not been officially released.
Officials confirmed that the operation was not linked to any active coordinated mission. &ldquo;There is no joint operation. The fatalities have occurred during routine domination exercise,&rdquo; another senior official said.
While Telangana Police had not been involved in any cross-border operations, Chhattisgarh Police have been actively pursuing Maoist cadres in the Karregutta hillock region near the state border for the past three weeks, resulting in significant Maoist casualties.
The explosion came just a day after security forces in Chhattisgarh&rsquo;s Bijapur district killed 22 Maoists during an encounter under Operation Sankalp, a major counter-insurgency effort targeting the Karregutta forest zone that spans the border regions of Bijapur, Mulugu, and Bhadradri-Kothagudem.&nbsp;
Telangana Police have not participated in either Operation Sankalp or the earlier Operation Kagar but have maintained heightened surveillance of Maoist activity within their own territory.
Telangana continues to follow a policy that encourages Maoists to surrender. In recent months, nearly 300 Maoist cadres have surrendered in Mulugu district alone. Across Mulugu and Bhadradri-Kothagudem, more than 250 Maoists, predominantly from Chhattisgarh, have surrendered in 2025.
The deaths occurred at a time when senior leaders of Telangana&rsquo;s ruling Congress party have been urging the Central Government to initiate peace talks with Maoist groups.
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Three Greyhounds commandos died in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists during a routine operation on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border

Three Greyhounds Commandos Killed in Maoist Landmine Blast

Three Greyhounds commandos died in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists during a routine operation on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border

May 8, 2025 | 17:18 IST