At least five suspected Maoists were killed on Monday morning in an encounter with security forces in Odisha’s Malkangiri district, ANI reported the police as saying. The gunfight began on Sunday evening in a forest area near Papluru village in Kalimela and is reportedly still under way, reported IANS.
Additional Director General (Operation) RP Koche said a combing operation by a joint team of Odisha Police and the Special Operation Group personnel led to the encounter in which the five Maoists, including a woman, were killed, according to IANS.
Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Jagmohan Meena told The Hindu that commandos of the Special Operation Group launched the operation on Sunday evening based on intelligence reports about the presence of a Maoist camp in the area.
Arms and ammunition, including rifles and a grenade, were recovered from the site of the encounter.
Koche said additional personnel of the Border Security Forces personnel and Special Operation Group have been deployed to track down other Maoists hiding in Papluru village. Meena said the gunfight is still under way in the area.
“I think this is by far the best operation of the Odisha Police against the left-wing extremists,” said Director General of Police RP Sharma, according to Odisha Sun Times. “While a huge cache of arms and ammunition have been recovered, a search operation is still on to track down the Maoists.”
On October 30, a Doordarshan video journalist and three policemen were killed in a Maoist ambush in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
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