NAGPUR: Captain Reena Varughese was just a rookie pilot in 2009 when Maoists shot down a helicopter carrying senior police and polling officials near Laheri, on the edge of Abujmarh, the stronghold of the ‘People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army’ (PLGA) spanning Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
Fast forward fifteen years, and Varughese was well aware of the risks when her 13-seat Dauphin-N Pawan Hans helicopter took off from Gadchiroli, heading into the heart of Maoist territory, 100 km away.
In a remarkable act of bravery during an eight-hour siege of a booby-trapped PLGA hideout, Varughese and her crew risked mortar fire to rescue a wounded C-60 commando, marking a pivotal moment in the operation that resulted in the deaths of five Maoists.
Sources reveal that Varughese, who prefers to stay out of the spotlight, understood that landing on the rocky, forested terrain was impossible. Taking charge, she instructed her co-pilot to take over before jumping from the helicopter as it hovered 11 feet above the ground, amidst swirling dust.
The chopper was vulnerable to the Maoists, who reportedly have unmanned drones to target airborne operations. Yet Varughese and her team achieved what seemed impossible, successfully lifting the injured commando, who had been bleeding for three hours after being shot three times.
“With extensive experience in rescue missions in high-risk zones, including Maoist-affected areas like Jagdalpur, Sukma, and Chintagufa in Chhattisgarh, Varughese displayed exceptional courage in facing the challenge,” a source commented. The wounded commando was transported to Gadchiroli in 30 minutes, then taken to a Nagpur hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition as of Tuesday evening.
Varughese, who holds a BTech in aeronautical engineering, previously participated in the Pawan Hans operation to evacuate Covid patients from the Lakshadweep Islands to Kochi during the pandemic.
