2 Naxals carrying Rs 35-lakh bounty killed in Chhattisgarh encounter

Two senior Naxalites, carrying collective rewards of Rs 35 lakh, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district on Wednesday, the police said.

The encounter took place late in the afternoon in the forest of Banda Pahad hill under Madanwada police station area, when a team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Superintendent of Police YP Singh said.

A team of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) was also involved in the operation as a support party, he said.

The operation was launched on Tuesday night based on inputs about the presence of senior cadres in the area, he said.

An exchange of fire broke out on Wednesday when security personnel were cordoning off the Banda Pahad area near Retegaon village amid rainfall, he said.

After the firing stopped, the bodies of two Naxalites were recovered from the spot. The deceased cadres have been identified as Vijay Reddy and Lokesh Salame, Singh said.