A huge cache of weapons was seized and an injured Naxalite was arrested after a gunfight with security forces in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, the police said on Tuesday.
Bijapur Additional Superintendent of Police Pankaj Shukla said the skirmish took place in the forest of Bongla-Pangur village on Monday when a team of the District Reserve Guard, Special Task Force and Central Reserve Police Force’s 229 Battalion was on an anti-Naxalite drive.
The security forces launched the operation following a tip about the presence of Madded Area Committee DVC Nagesh and 20-25 other Naxalites in the jungles of Bongla-Pangur.
They spotted a Maoist tent near the area, An exchange of fire ensued between the two sides when the patrolling team headed towards them. The Maoists fled from the spot amid heavy firing.
After the gun battle ended, an injured Naxalite was arrested from the spot. The security forces recovered a hand grenade, five detonators and a 12-bore gun with 10 round bullets from him.
Also, an SLR rifle with 29 round bullets, an INSAS rile with 4 round bullets, a .303 rifle with 6 round bullets, explosives, Maoist literature and other materials of daily use were recovered from the spot.
One official speculated two to three Maoists may have died in the battle after seeing the blood stains and drag marks.