Two more Maoists gunned down in AP-Odisha border

Two Maoists were gunned down in an encounter with the elite Greyhounds of Andhra Pradesh Police in the Eastern Ghats forests of Visakhapatnam on Monday, a day after three ultras were killed in the region, officials said.

The two encounters within 24 hours come at a time when the outlawed CPI (Maoist) is celebrating its Formation Day, they said.

The security forces recovered three weapons -- an AK rifle , a .303 rifle and a revolver -- from Monday's encounter site, Additional Director General of Police (Greyhounds) Nalin Prabhat said.

On Sunday, three Naxals -- two women and a man -- were killed in an encounter near Gummirevula in Vishakhapatnam district on the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border.

"Given the fact that the Maoists are celebrating their Formation Day across the red corridor, these two encounters in a span of 24 hours or so are definitely going to be a dampener for the ultras and a fillip to the Union Home Minister's plans," the force said.

In a recent meeting with Naxalism-affected states, Home Minister Amit Shah said that incidents of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) have come down but the focus needs to be on eliminating the problem completely.

The police have intensified combing operations in the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha Border areas in view of the "Maoist Week" that is being observed from September 21 to 28.