RAIPUR: Nine Maoists, including six women cadres, were killed in an encounter with security forces at the Purangel-Andri forested hilly terrain along the inter-district border of Dantewada and Bijapur in south Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, according to Bastar police.
Acting on specific intelligence about the presence of Maoists belonging to the West Bastar Division committee and the Peoples' Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) company number 2 in the area, a joint team comprising personnel from District Reserve Guards (DRG), Bastar Fighters, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a search operation.
"Exchange of fire ensued at around 10:30 am on Tuesday between the security forces and the Maoists during the operation. Nine bodies of armed Maoists in uniform, including six women, along with the weapons have been recovered from the site. The intermittent encounter continued as the search operation in the region remained underway," said Sunderraj P, Bastar Inspector General of Police.
There were no reports of injuries sustained by the forces. The gun battle continued until the afternoon when the cadres of the banned outfit were reportedly looking for a safe passage through the forested landscape of the region.
A large quantity of weapons, including Self Loading Rifles, 303 Rifles, 315 Bore Rifles, BGL launchers, and significant explosives, among other items, were also recovered.
"The forces engaged in the operation are safe and returning. The recovered bodies are yet to be identified. Considering the possibility of the presence of several dead or injured Maoists in and around the encounter site, additional reinforcements have been sent to the area," said Gaurav Rai, Dantewada District Police Chief.
The series of encounters against the left-wing extremists are part of the strategy to free the conflict-ridden Bastar zone from the influence of the outlawed CPI (Maoist).
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, after the encounter, posted a statement on the microblogging platform X, citing the incident as a major success of the security forces and asserting that the battle will continue until the Maoists are wiped out.
So far, 153 Maoist cadres have been neutralized by security forces, 669 cadres arrested, and 656 surrendered this year since January in the conflict-ridden Bastar zone of south Chhattisgarh, stated the Bastar police.
In a separate incident, 13 active members of left-wing extremists were arrested in Bijapur by the forces from two different locations and sent to the district jail today.