Security personnel gunned down two Maoists at two different places under the Chandiposh Police Station in Sundargarh district on Wednesday and Thursday.
Acting on reliable input on movement of a group of CPI (Maoist), one unit of the Central Reserve Police Force, three units of the SOG along with State police and DVF launched a joint combing operation in the Asur Khol hill forest on Wednesday morning.
During the operation, the SOG personnel located a Maoists’ camp on the hill top at around 9am on the day. Seeing men in uniform, the ultras opened fire at them. The SOG members too retaliated. After exchange of fire was over, security personnel recovered a dead body and seize two .303 rifles, 57 ball ammunitions of .303, 90 ball ammunitions of 9 mm pistol and 24 ball ammunitions of 7.62mm SlR, three country made grenade, one SlR magazine, medicines, Maoist literature, uniform and other daily use articles, informed IG (Western Region) RK Sharma at a Press conference here.
Sharma said there were 15 to 20 Maoists in the camp.
later, one more team, comprising CRPF and police exchanged fire with Maoists at about 10 pm in the Gahani area under the Chandiposh Police Station. This time, security personnel found one dead body too. Besides, they seized two .303 rifles and 113 ball ammunitions of .202 rifles.
The combing operation was still on in the area, said Sharma.
According to Sharma, some Maoists were now moving into Odisha forests as the Jharkhand Government had tightened security in border areas ahead of its Panchayat elections.
Among others, Rourkela SP Anirudha Singh and CRPF 19 Battalion Commandant Himansu Kumar were present.