Three junior commandos of the elite anti-Naxal unit Greyhounds died early Thursday in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border.

This marked the first police fatalities in Telangana's anti-Maoist operations in 2025.

Senior Telangana police officials confirmed that the commandos were conducting a routine area domination exercise when the blast occurred in the Wazeedu–Perur forest zone of Mulugu district, near the Veerabhadravaram-Tadapala hillocks.

“All three victims are Greyhounds Junior Commandos of Constable rank. 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,” a senior officer said.

As of the time of reporting, police had not transported the bodies of the deceased to the district headquarters. Authorities had also not officially released their identities. Mulugu and the adjoining Bhadradri-Kothagudem district remain the most Maoist-affected regions in Telangana due to their location near Chhattisgarh.

In 2025 so far, over 250 Maoists, mostly from Chhattisgarh, have surrendered to the police in these two districts. The deadly explosion came just one day after security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district killed 22 Maoists in an encounter. This encounter was part of Operation Sankalp, a large-scale counter-insurgency campaign.

Forces carried out the operation in the Karregutta forest region, which spans the inter-state borders of Bijapur, Mulugu, and Bhadradri-Kothagudem.

Although Telangana Police did not officially participate in Operation Kagar or Operation Sankalp, they have continued to maintain heightened surveillance of Maoist activity within their jurisdiction.