Three policemen besides two Maoists were killed in a fierce gun-battle that occurred in a forest patch of the restive Bijapur district on Sunday morning, a senior police official informed. The encounter took place following a face-off between the security personnel and Naxals near Jappemarka village under Mirtur police station limits, about 70 km from district headquarters Bijapur, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Indira Kalyan Elesela said.
An anti-naxal operation was being carried out by a joint contingent of Special Task Force (STF) and District Force (DF) in Gangaloor and Mirtur areas. When the team reached Jappemarka forests, a group of armed rebels opened indiscriminate firing on them following which the police personnel retaliated, he said.
After the gun fight that lasted for around two hours, the Naxals escaped into the core part of the jungle. “One STF jawan and another from District Force were martyred in the incident. Besides, two Naxals were also killed in the incident,” he said.
“One more Constable rank jawan succumbed to injuries while being evacuated from the spot,” he said. Soon after being informed, reinforcement was rushed to the spot and bodies have been retrieved from dense forests, he said.
The deceased have been identified as STF Constable Sitaram Kunjam, District Police Reserve Group Assistant Constable Moti Ram (28) and Constable Payku Ram Poyam (26) from the forest, the ASP said.
A huge cache of arms and ammunition were also recovered from the encounter spot and details in this connection will be revealed once the security forces will reach their camps, he said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Raman Singh has strongly condemned the attack and has expressed grief over the death of troopers.