Koraput: Five Maoists, three of them women, were shot dead in a gun battle with security personnel Wednesday at Kituakanti jungle under Padua police station limits of this district bordering Andhra Pradesh. The Maoists engaged the security personnel in an encounter for more than an hour.
The encounter took place in a forest in the morning when personnel of the Special Operations Group (SOG) and District Voluntary Force (DVF) were conducting a combing operation in the area after learning about the ultras conducting a secret meeting in the jungle.
The Maoists fired at the Special Operation Group (SOG) and DVF men after noticing them and the security personnel retaliated the fire, killing them, the ADGP (operations) RP Koche said. Koraput SP Kanwar Vishal Singh also confirmed the development.
The ultras could not withstand the onslaught and fled the scene. The security forces later frisked the area and recovered five bodies of Maoists including three women. The security personnel also seized a huge cache of weapons, including three SLR and one INSAS rifle from the spot, informed Koche. The deceased Maoists were identified as members of Nandapur area committee. The security forces began the combing operation following a tip-off that around 15 Maoists were hiding in the Kituakanti forest under Hatibari panchayat of Nandapur block, officials said.
Koraput SP KV Singh said the security personnel recovered five guns from the spot. A couple of ultras may have sustained injuries in the exchange of fire. The combing operations are still continuing, with the SOG hoping to apprehend them, added Singh.
Notably, the security forces had arrested two Maoist militia members associated with the killing of two legislators of Andhra Pradesh and a sarpanch. Later , the district police handed over the arrested ultras to the National Investigation Team in Andhra Pradesh.
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