A woman who was member of ‘Maoist expansion team’ was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Kabirdham district on Sunday, police informed.
The skirmish took place near Suratiya village around 1 pm when a team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on a counter-insurgency operation, Deputy Inspector General (anti-Naxal operations) Sundarraj P said.
Acting on inputs about the presence of ultras in Taregaon area of the district adjoining Madhya Pradesh, the DRG launched the operation in the area, located around 160 km away from Raipur, he said.
When the security men were advancing through a forest in Suratiya, a gun-battle broke out between the two sides.
However, soon ultras disappeared into the dense forest, he said.
During search of the spot, the body of a woman Naxal and a huge cache of Maoist literature and other material were recovered, he said. The killed ultra was identified as Jugni, a member of 'vistaar platoon' no. 3 (expansion team) of Maoists, he said.
She carried cash reward of Rs 2 lakh on her head, he added.
Naxals are desperately trying to set up their new base for the past two years at a tri-junction forested patch of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (MMC zone), comprising areas of Balaghat, Gondia, Rajnandgaon, Mungeli and Kabirdham districts, another police official stated.
The expansion teams of ultras were reported to be active in these areas for the purpose, he mentioned.
