Some Maoists are also suspected to have been killed in the exchange of fire and the security forces are combing the area
First major operation in Congress government that talks about peace with rebels
The search operation is still underway
The exchange of fire occurred in the forests near Venkatapuram village on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border in the early hours of Friday
The identity of killed Naxals was not immediately known, but security agencies believe some top Naxal leaders could be among those killed, officials said
The first encounter broke out at about 5:40 PM yesterday and it was followed by another one at about 8:00 PM
Twelve personnel of the CRPF were killed on March 12 in the same district in an ambush by naxalites