In a major success, security forces gunned down a hardcore Naxal and arrested another ultra following a gunbattle in the dense hilly track of Ghotiyakanhar under Aundhi police station of the insurgency-hit Rajnandgaon district, police said on Thursday.
One more Naxal was killed in the gunbattle whose body was carried away by the Naxals, claimed Superintendent of Police Rajnandgaon Dr Sanjeev Shukla adding, huge cache of arms and ammunitions were recovered from the spot.
According to the police, a combined team of District Police, Special Task Force (STF) and Indo Tibetan Boarder Police (ITBP) personnel had started on an anti-Naxal operation from Aundhi police station on May 14 last. The police team had received intelligence inputs about presence of Maoists in the hills of Baddongri near Ghotiyakanhar village under Aundhi police station.
During the searching of area, police had a face-off with Naxals who opened indiscriminate fire on the police party. Security personnel retaliated with heavy gun fire after which Maoists were left with no option but to run from the spot , police claimed.
later on, during the searching of area, body of a Naxal was found who was identified as Pankaj Commander of Pendri Dalam (Maharashtra). An injured ultra was also arrested from the spot, police said.
A semi-automatic SlR rifle, 12 bore gun, single shot rifle, SlR magazine, bullets and other items of daily use were also recovered from the spot. Blood spots at the gun-battle suggest that about 2-3 rebels would have been injured in the incident, police maintained.