Three Maoists including two females, were killed on Saturday in two separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, police said.
Two rebels including a female ultra was killed in Bijapur district while another female insurgent was gunned down by police in Kanker district.
The encounter in Bijapur started at 2:50 am on Saturday in a dense forest between a joint squad of security forces and ultras in the jungles of Kotter-Kerenar under Gangaloor police station limits, a senior police official said.
The operation, involving composite forces of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 85th battalion and CRPF's elite unit Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) 204th battalion with the support of Gangaloor police, was launched last night, he said.
While combing operations were underway, Maoists opened fire on security forces early this morning.
Immediately security forces took position and launched retaliatory attack that forced Maoists to flee from the spot, he added.
Two Maoists, including a female clad in "uniform", were found dead. Two country made weapons and items of daily use were recovered from the spot, he said. The identity of the two killed is yet to be ascertained, he added.