RANCHI: In a major achievement, security forces gunned down at least three People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) Naxals in an encounter which took place during a joint search operation conducted by 209 CoBRA Battalion of CRPF and State Police in Gumla early in the morning on Sunday.
Security forces told that seven arms, including 2 AK-47 Rifles, have also been recovered during the search operation conducted immediately after the encounter.
"Three PLFI cadres have been gunned down at Aamtoli jungles under Kamdara Police Station in Gumla during a search operation conducted following a tip-off that PLFI Commander Dinesh Gope was spotted in the area at around 6 am in the morning on Sunday," said CRPF PRO Prakash Badal.
Though the PLFI squad escaped from the encounter site after they could not withstand heavy firing from the security forces three dead bodies of the ultras, killed in the encounter, have been recovered from there, he added.
"During intensive search operation conducted following the encounter, two AK-47 Rifles, 2 Bolt Action Rifle and three pistols along with 66 mobile phones, wireless sets, their chargers, rucksacks, handbags, Rs 1, 10,200 cash and other articles of day to day use have also been recovered from the site," said Badal.
He said that a total of 9 PLFI Naxals have been killed during the last 25 days in an encounter with the security forces, he added.
Recently, 5 PLFI ultras were killed at Khunti - Chibasa borders on January 29, while another one was gunned down in Khunti on February 14 followed by recovery of huge cache of arms and ammunition from the encounter site, Badal said.