Encounter in C'garh: Naxal killed, cop dies of heart attack

A Naxalwas gunned down in anencounterwith security forces in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Tuesday, a senior police official said.

A District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawan received minor injuries in the face-off while another personnel died of a suspected heart attack prior to the operation, he said.

The skirmish took place around 9 am near Pitepal village when separate teams of security forces were out on anti-Naxal operations, the official said.

Based on inputs about the presence of a large number of Maoists in Katekalyan forest area along the border of Dantewada and Sukma districts where they were planning execute some major attack, around 400 security personnel were sent to the area in separate teams, he said.

When one of the DRG squads was cordoning off a forest area in Pitepal, the gun-battle broke out between the two sides.

However, ultras soon disappeared into the dense forest, he said.

Later, during search, the body of a Naxal was recovered from the spot, the official said.

Besides, a country-made pistol and two magazines each of the Insas and SLR rifles was also recovered, he said.

A DRG jawan received minor injuries in the gunfight and his condition was reported to be out of danger, he said.

Before the encounter, DRG's assistant constable Kailash Netam, who was part of the same squad, complained of chest pain and subsequently died, he said.

"Prima facie, it seems Netam died of a heart attack, but the exact cause of the death will be known after the autopsy," he said.

The killed ultra was yet to be identified, he added.