RAIPUR: Three cadres of outlawed CPI (Maoist) were killed in an encounter with the security forces in strife-torn Sukma district close to Malmeta forested terrain, about 450 km south of Raipur, on Friday. The troopers recovered the bodies and four weapons from the encounter site, the Sukma police said.
"Based on a tip-off on the presence of Maoists and their proposed meeting near the hilly terrain of Ghatpara, a joint squad of special task force (STF) and district reserve guards (DRG) left on the operation. Through tactical maneuvering, the forces escaped the ambush planted by the rebels at Malmeta. In the ensuing gun-battle three Naxals in uniform were killed", Sukma district police chief Abhishek Meena told TNIE.
The Maoists managed to give police the slip at Ghatpara provoking them to move ahead close to Malmeta where the Red brigade had planted an ambush. There is however no report of any injury or casualty sustained by the forces.
Reinforcements have been rushed to intensify the operation in the region. Sukma continues to be one of the worst Maoist-affected districts in the conflict zone of Bastar, south Chhattisgarh.