RAIPUR: A woman Naxal was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Monday morning, police said.
The skirmish took place in a forest between Narsapur and Tekulgudem villages under Basaguda police station area around 7.30 am, when a joint team of security forces was out on a counter-insurgency operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI.
Personnel belonging to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 168th battalion, its elite unit-204th Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) and local police were involved in the operation, he said.
"On spotting a Maoist hideout in the forest, located about 450 km from the state capital Raipur, security forces raided the place following which an exchange of fire broke out between the two sides," he said.
After guns fell silent, the body of a woman Naxal and three rifles were recovered from the spot, he said, adding that the killed rebel was yet to be identified.
Search operation was still underway in the area, he said.
Last year, 79 Naxals were killed in separate encounters with security forces in the state, according to official figures.