In a major joint anti-Maoist operation, four Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border in Gadchiroli district on Friday, a senior official confirmed.
The operation was carried out by the elite C-60 commando unit of the Maharashtra Police in coordination with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Acting on credible intelligence inputs regarding Maoist presence near a newly established Forward Operating Base (FOB) in the Kawande area, the forces launched the operation on Thursday afternoon.
A statement accessed by PTI said, a dozen C-60 parties (300 commandoes) and a component of the CRPF launched the operation from Kawande and Nelgunda areas towards the banks of the Indravati river amidst heavy rains.
On Friday morning, when the cordon was being laid and river banks were being searched, Maoists started indiscriminate firing on C-60 commandoes, leading to an effective retaliation by security forces in Gadchiroli district in eastern Maharashtra, it said.
Following the exchange of fire, security personnel recovered the bodies of four Maoists from the area.
Additionally, the forces seized an automatic self-loading rifle, two .303 rifles, a Bharmar gun, walkie-talkies, camping equipment, Maoist literature, and other materials from the encounter site.
This incident comes just two days after a significant anti-Maoist operation in neighboring Chhattisgarh, where 27 Maoists, including top leader Basavaraju, were killed by security forces.