india

Updated: Jul 27, 2019 20:18 IST

Seven Maoists, including three women cadres, were killed in an encounter with security forces in the jungles of Jagadalpur district on Saturday evening. The police have also recovered five weapons including one Insas rifle from the spot after the encounter.

According to the police, the encounter started at 3.45 pm in the forest near Tiriya village when a joint team of state forces –including the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) -- was out on a counter-insurgency operation.

“We have recovered seven bodies after an encounter near the Jagdalpur-Odisha border in Tiriya Machkot jungles under Nagarnar police station area. A search of the area is going on and more bodies could be recovered. We believe that more Maoists were killed in the encounter but the bodies were dragged into the jungle,” Director General of Police (DGP) DM Awasthi told Hindustan Times.

The DGP further said that three weapons – including one Insas and four .303 rifles were recovered from the spot.

“We have recovered other Maoist related objects including literature and explosives and wires used for IED blasts,” said the DGP adding more details about the encounter was yet to be revealed.

As per the Chhattisgarh police records, till July 27, encounters which took place in Chhattisgarh are 58 in which 43 Maoists and 15 security personnel were killed.

In the year 2018, the number of encounters was 166 and the total number of Maoists killed were 124 while a total of 52 security personnel were killed in these encounters.

On July 6, four Maoists, including three women, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district.

The encounter took place between Khallari and Mechka villages when a team of Special Task Force (STF) was out on an anti-Naxal operation in the jungle.