The dead man's identity was yet to be ascertained, police said (Representational)

A Maoist was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Friday, the police said.

The skirmish took place in a forest near Tekmetla village under Usoor police station limits, a senior police official said.

A joint squad of 229th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force and local police had launched an anti-Maoist operation in the interiors of Usoor, about 450 km from state capital Raipur, he said.

When the security forces were cordoning off a forested area, a gun-battle broke out between the two sides on Friday morning.

But the rebels soon disappeared into dense forest, the officer said.

During a search, the body of a Maoist was discovered alongwith a muzzle-loading gun, he said.

The dead man's identity was yet to be ascertained, he added.