Two Maoists killed in encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada

In yet another encounter, ensued in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, the security forces has gunned down two Maoists, including a woman, on Sunday. The face-off took place in a forest near Gumiyapal village, located around 400 km from Raipur this morning. The deceased were identified as Deva and Mamgli alias Mui, who were active members of the Malangir area committee of Maoists. Both of them were carrying rewards of Rs 5 lakh each on their heads.

The gun battle broke out when a team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Maoist operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava told media. There was a heated exchange of fire when the security personnel tried to zero-in on the rebels, following which the latter escaped into the forest, he added.

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After the encounter came to a close, forces recovered bodies of two ultras and two firearms, a .303 rifle and a muzzle-loading gun, during a search operation at the spot. A suspected woman Naxal, identified as Kosi, was also arrested from the spot, the official said, adding the search operation was still underway in the area.

The operations against the red rebels have been very successful over the last few months with several Maoists killed in over 20 encounters in the year 2019. Areas that suffer the Maoist insurgency most include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, and West Bengal and some of the eastern Uttar Pradesh states.