SUKMA: A Naxalite was killed and three security personnel were injured in an IED blast during an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Tuesday, a police officer said.
He said a joint team of security personnel on an anti-Naxal operation and Maoists exchanged fire in the forest along the Sukma-Dantewada inter-district border.
The operation, involving personnel of the Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), was launched on Monday based on inputs about the presence of Maoists in the area, said Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan.
During the search of the encounter site, security personnel found the body of a male Naxalite along with a huge cache of arms, ammunition, and explosive materials.
"Three personnel belonging to DRG sustained injuries in a pressure IED blast during the operation. All injured personnel have been safely evacuated and are being referred to higher medical centres for advanced treatment. Their condition is currently stable and out of danger," Chavan said.
He said that as the operation is still underway, other details cannot be discussed.
With the latest gunfight, 226 Naxalites have been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year.
Of them, 208 were eliminated in the Bastar division, which includes districts of Bijapur, Bastar, Kanker, Konadagaon, Narayanpur, Sukma, and Dantewada.