RAIPUR: At least three Maoists, including a female cadre, were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in the Chindakhadak forested hilly terrain of Kanker district, about 200 km south of Raipur, on Sunday.
A joint team of troops launched a search operation based on intelligence inputs regarding the presence of Maoists in the given location of Kanker.
"Based on specific information about the location of the Maoists, a joint party of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Border Security Forces (BSF) launched a search operation on early Sunday morning. A gunfight broke out between the security forces and the Maoists inside the forested terrain. So far, three bodies of Naxalites have been recovered," said Indira Kalyan Elisela, Kanker district police chief.
The deceased Maoists carried a cumulative bounty of Rs 14 lakh, the officer added.
The forces also recovered weapons, including an automatic self-loading rifle, a .303 rifle, besides other naxal materials from the encounter site.
There has been no report of any security personnel sustaining injuries in the encounter.
The bodies have been identified as Sarvan Madkam alias Vishwanth, who was in charge coordinator of the Sitanandi Ravas Area committee, Rajesh alias Rakesh Hemla, a Nagri Area Committee member and Basanti Kunjam alias Hidme Piyem, who coordinated the protection team and was a Mainpur-Nuapada member.
Out of the seven Red leaders of the Sitanadi Ravas Area Committee, now only four members remain, and all of them are women cadres, sources told TNIE.
Kanker, among the seven Maoist-affected districts in Bastar zone, is cited as an epicentre of the left-wing extremist group in south Chhattisgarh.
This year, 252 Maoists have been neutralised in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh so far. Of them, in the Bastar division, the forces gunned down 223, while 27 were eliminated in the Gariaband district adjoining the Odisha border. Two other Naxalites were killed in the Durg division.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had in August last year declared that the country would be Maoist-free by March 31, 2026.