RAIPUR: A Naxalite was killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Monday morning, police said.
The gunfight took place in a forest under Kistaram police station area when separate teams of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA- an elite unit of CRPF) were out on an anti-Naxal operation, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran G Chavan told PTI.
The exchange of fire took place between Naxalites and the DRG team in the forest, located around 450 km from the state capital Raipur, he said.
After the gunfight stopped, the body of a Naxalite and a weapon were recovered from the spot, the SP said, adding that search operation was still underway in the area.
With this incident, 81 Naxalites have been killed so far this year in separate encounters in Bastar region, comprising seven districts including Sukma, according to police.
On April 16, 29 Naxalites were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in the region's Kanker district.