6 Naxals killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur

Bijapur (Chhattisgarh): As many as six naxals have been killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, a top police official said on Wednesday.

IG Bastar P Sundarraj said six naxal bodies, including one female, have been recovered after an exchange of fire in the forest area near Chikurbatti-Pusbhaka jungle in Bijapur district.

The encounter took place near the Talperu River close to the Chikurbatti area under Basaguda police station, said Bastar Range IG Sundarraj.

A joint team of CoBRA-an elite unit of CRPF, CRPF's 229th battalion and DRG were involved in the gunfight with insurgents of PLGA's platoon-10 near Talperu river, said the IG, adding that during the search, the security personnel have recovered the bodies of six slain naxals. Of six slain naxals, one was a female cadre, the officer added.

During the search, the team had recovered arms and ammunition along with other materials of daily use, the officer said.

Further details are awaited as the search operation is still underway, said IG Sundarraj.

The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Basaguda police station. Basaguda District Reserve Guard, CRPF 229, and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) teams were involved in the operation, they said.

On March 23, two jawans were injured in an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) blast in the Naxal stronghold of Dantewada, the superintendent of police in the district informed. The explosion took place in the Kirandul police station area during an anti-Naxal operation on Saturday, the Dantewada SP added.

(ANI)