Chhattisgarh: Two Naxalites killed in encounter with police in Sukma

Two Naxalites, including a woman, were killed in an encounter with police in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Monday morning, an official said.

A cache of explosives and an automatic weapon were recovered from the encounter site, he said, adding the two Naxalites were carrying a collective reward of Rs 11 lakh on their heads.

The gunfight took place at around 5.30 am in a forest near Danteshpuram village under Bheji police station limits, located more than 400 km from state capital Raipur, when a team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Sukma Superintendent of Police Sunil Sharma told PTI.

The police had specific inputs about the presence of Golapalli Local Organisation Squad (LOS) Naxal commander Madkam Erra along with 30-35 team members.

Hence, separate teams of DRG, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite unit Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) launched the operation on Sunday night, he said.

When one of the patrolling teams of the DRG was cordoning off Danteshpuram forest, armed Naxalites open fire leading to the gun-battle, he said.

After guns fell silent, bodies of two Naxalites were recovered from the spot, the official said.

They were identified as LOS commander Erra and woman cadre Podiyam Bhime, deputy commander of the same squad, Sharma said.

Erra and Bhime were carrying rewards of Rs 8 lakh and Rs 3 lakh respectively on their heads, the official said.

"Erra, also an area committee member of Naxalites, was allegedly involved in more than two dozen incidents of Naxal violence," he said.

Search operation was underway in nearby areas, he added.