A Naxalite carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head was among three ultras killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Tuesday, police said.
The gunfight took place at around 8 am in a forest along the border of Dantewada and Bijapur districts when a team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said.
Personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Bastar Fighters, both units of the state police, were involved in the operation launched on the basis of inputs anout the presence of Maoists in forests of Girsapara, Nelgoda, Bodga and Ikeli villages under Geedam police station limits, he said.
After the exchange of fire stopped, bodies of three male Naxalites were recovered from the site, the official said. With the latest action, 116 Naxalites have been gunned down in separate encounters in the state so far this year.