Woman Naxal killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh; AK-47 rifle, 2 pistols seized

Raipur, June 18

A woman Naxal was killed in a gun battle with security forces inside a forest in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh on Friday, a senior police officer said.

Three weapons and a huge cache of Maoist camping material were recovered from the encounter site, he said.

The gunfight took place around 8 am in the forest of Chandameta-Pyarbhat villages when joint teams of security forces were out on an anti-Naxal operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

The operation was launched based on the inputs about the presence of some members belonging to Maoists' Darbha division, which has been instrumental in carrying out several deadly attacks in Bastar, along the borders of Bastar and Surkma districts, around 350 km from capital Raipur, he said.

Personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) units from Bastar, Dantewada and Sukma and CRPF 80th battalion were involved in the operation, he said.

The exchange of fire took place between the DRG team of Bastar and the Naxals, he said.

“After the exchange of fire stopped, the body of a woman Naxal clad in 'uniform' along with one AK-47 rifle, two pistols and a huge amount of camping materials were recovered from the spot, he said.

The identity of the killed cadre was yet to be ascertained, the IG said, adding that a search is still under way in the nearby areas. PTI