RAIPUR : Security forces on Wednesday gunned down six Maoists, including two women, in a fierce exchange of fire at Chipurbhatti area of Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district.
The slain Naxalites were identified as members of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist). PLGA’s ‘deputy commander’ of Punem Nagesh is among those killed. His wife Vetti Soni, an active member of the militia, and another female cadre were also killed.
Sources said Nagesh was instrumental in carrying out several deadly attacks on security forces in the past.
The encounter took place during the search operation of a joint team of the District Reserve Guard and the elite CoBRA unit of the CRPF. The team reached the area after the Maoists killed three villagers on Monday, accusing them of being police informers. “The security forces moved out on the operation on Tuesday night following a tip-off about the presence of Maoists in the region,” a police officer told this newspaper.
The forces also recovered a huge cache of arms & ammunition and items for daily use from near the encounter site.