A group of armed Maoists went on a rampage in the tribal area of Visakhapatnam [Images] district destroying public properties late on Wednesday night.

The police have launched combing operations against the Maoists.

Visakhapatnam Rural District Superintendent of Police Akun Sabharwal told rediff.com that 30 Maoists came to Chintapalli, a tribal town in the dense forest area of the district, and damaged an electric sub-station, a TV transmission tower and a Roads and Buildings guesthouse.

They used locally made gelatine sticks to blast these public properties.

At all these places, they asked the employees present to come out of the premises before blasting the properties.

Maoists attacked the house of former Congress legislator P Balaraju. They took out the furniture and set it afire.

Maoists also made an abortive attempt to attack Chintapalli police station, but beat a hasty retreat when alert policemen opened fire.

Power supply was disrupted in tribal villages under Chintapalli and G K Veedhi mandals due to the blasting of two transformers at the 33/11 KV sub-station at Chintapalli.

Similarly, Doordarshan transmission went off the air in the area following damage to the relay transmission tower. Two blocks of the guesthouse were damaged.

Eyewitnesses told police that before fleeing Chintapalli, the Maoists raised slogans claiming that their attacks were in retaliation to the killing of two top Maoist leaders Sande Rajamouli and Chettiraju Papaiah in Anantapur and Warangal districts recently.

Maoists also hung banners near the Integrated Tribal Development Agency office opposing the Jindals' and Ras Al Khaimah-sponsored projects for bauxite mining and production of alumina by displacing tribals in the area.

Maoists warned that the ruling Congress leaders would meet a fate similar to Visakhapatnam zilla parishad vice-chairman S Ravi Shankar who was shot dead on May 28 by their comrades for supporting the bauxite mining and alumina projects being set up by the Jindals and the Gulf-based company.

Sabharwal said armed police parties have fanned out into the forests for combing operations against Maoists.

"By blasting the electric sub-station, TV transmitter and a government guesthouse, what revolution do the Maoists want to usher in? I don't know. They don't have any ideology or principles. They are resorting to these acts only to extort money from the contractors. We will teach them a very good lesson," the SP added.