Kalaimuri, July 4: Security forces today began sanitising forests in Lalgarh where Maoists were believed to have taken shelter.

One team of state and central forces that set out to secure a police camp in Kalaimuri faced no opposition from the rebels. Another engaged Maoists in a 15-minute gun battle after the rebels detonated an improvised explosive device in the Kumarbandh forest near Kantapahari.

Police said the Maoists fired first after which the security forces retaliated. No injuries were reported.

The team bound for Kalaimuri, about 40km from Midnapore town, also set up a new police camp at Madhupur, about 5km from Kalaimuri.

Two months ago, tribals and armed Maoists had driven away the police from Kalaimuri.

“We are in an area domination operation. We visited the villages where Maoists had been camping. Our next task will be to search the dense forests,” said an officer of a central force.

Around 6.30am, security personnel started marching from three sides — Ramgarh, Goaltore and Salboni — towards Kalaimuri.

“We took all precautions against the Maoists. While the security personnel marched on the kuchcha roads, policemen fanned out into the forests, going in about 500m so that the guerrillas would not attack us,” said an officer.

Policemen searched several villages inside the forests too. “All the men in the villages have fled. No one was arrested during today’s operation,” said the officer.

Naren Soren of Birbhanpur village confirmed that the villages had turned into Maoist dens in the past few months. “Sometimes they (the Maoists) patrolled the roads in daylight. But most of the time they stayed in the forests and held meetings. At night, they visited our houses and demanded food at gunpoint,” Soren said.

The police said tracking down the guerrillas in the jungles was not easy. “They know the forest routes like the back of their hand. Besides, all forests, like Kadashole, Salboni, Godamouli, Jhitka, Kantapahari, Ronja, are inter-linked. If we search the Kalaimuri forest, they will take refuge in the nearby Jhitka forest. Combing these forests is very difficult,” said an officer.

The police said re-establishing the camp in Kalaimuri was now the first priority. “We will have to construct it again. As the camp is in a dense forest, we can keep a vigil on Maoist movement in the jungles,” said Kuldeip Singh, inspector-general, western range.

Maoists caught

A team from the Balarampur police station captured four Maoists at Bersha village in Purulia last night. Four guns, improvised mines and wire were seized from them. One of the Maoists was a woman.