Woman Naxal with Rs 16 lakh reward on head killed in encounter

Two women Naxals, one of them carrying a reward of Rs 16 lakh on her head, were killed in an encounter with police in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra Saturday afternoon, an official said.

The skirmish took place in Gunderwahi forest in the district when commandos of C-60 squad, police's anti-Naxal unit, was combing the area, a police official said.

Naxals carried out an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast and opened fire on the commandos, leading to a gun battle, he said.

After the rebels fled, bodies of two women Naxals were found.

One of them was identified as Ramco alias Kamla Manku Narote (46), a divisional committee member in the Naxals' Gatta Dalam who was involved in several attacks on police, he said.

She was carrying a reward of Rs 16 lakh on her head, he added.

The other woman was Shilpa alias Manu Durva (29), a member of Bhamragad Dalam who was carrying a reward of Rs 4 lakh on her head, he said.

Ramco was married to Bhaskar, a Naxal 'commander', the official said, adding that police have intensified anti-Naxal operations in the district after the encounter.