Raipur: In a major success for security forces, two Naxalites, carrying a collective bounty of Rs 13 lakh, were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on Tuesday, said police officials.
The gunfight took place on Tuesday evening in a forest of Kilam-Bargum villages along the border of Kondagaon and Narayanpur districts when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P said.
Bodies of two Naxalites along with one AK-47 rifle and other weapons and explosives have been recovered from the spot, he said, adding the search operation was underway in the area.
Personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Bastar Fighters, both units of the state police, from Kondagaon were involved in the operation, he said.
The Naxalites have been identified as Haldar, a dreaded Maoist commander and member of the east Bastar division of Maoists, and Rame, an area committee member, the official said. Haldar and Rame carried rewards of Rs 8 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, respectively, on their heads, he said.
So far, a total of 140 Naxalites have been gunned down in separate encounters in the state. Of them, 123 were eliminated in the Bastar division comprising seven districts, including Narayanpur and Kondagaon.
