RAIPUR: A woman Maoist commander, carrying a cash reward of Rs 8 lakh, was shot dead in an encounter with security forces in Sukma forests on Tuesday. Kuram Bhime is the sixth woman Maoist to be killed this year.

Police said she was a section commander in the PLGA battalion headed by the dreaded Madvi Hidma. An Insas assault rifle — looted from CRPF — was found beside Kuram’s body.

A team of CoBRA commandos, Special Task force and District Reserve Guards carried out the operation on Tuesday. “The Insas rifle recovered was looted from CRPF during the Tadmetla attack in 2010,” said DIG (anti-Maoist operations) P Sunderraj.

