Naxal killed in encounter with police in Chhattisgarh

Raipur: A Naxal was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Tuesday, police said.

The skirmish took place around 9.30 am at a forest in Tulsi Dongri area when a team of the Special Task Force and District Reserve Groupwas out on a counter-insurgency exercise along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, Deputy Inspector General (anti-Naxal operation) Sundarraj P told PTI.

When the patrolling team was cordoning off the Tulsi Dongri area, a Maoist den located about 350 km from Raipur, the gun battle broke out between the two sides, he said.

After guns fell silent, the body of a Naxal, identified as Kosa, the deputy commander of Mahupadhar local organisation squad of Darbha Division of Maoists, was recovered from the spot, the official said.

Besides, a country-made pistol, a large number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other Naxal material were also seized from the site, he said, adding that search operation was still underway in the area.