Security forces in Andhra Pradesh are on high alert, after at least seven Maoists, including five women, were killed and two others injured in a fierce gunfight in the forests near Zinganur in Maharashtra early on Wednesday.
The area where the gunfight took place, borders the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and even Odisha.
A patrol team of the elite C-60 commandos of the Anti-Naxal Operations (ANO) overcame "the brutal firepower" of the Maoists in the deep jungles and eliminated seven of the attackers in what was billed as one of the biggest successes in recent times.
The insurgents eliminated on Wednesday were on the police 'wanted' list for several years and collectively carried a reward of Rs 28 lakh on their heads.
The Maoists have been identified as Sunita Kodape (reward Rs 6 lakh), Akhila Kulmethe (Rs 4 lakh), Shaila and Sarita (each Rs 2 lakh), Chandu (Rs 6 lakh) and Aiytu (Rs 8 lakh) while one woman has yet to be identified, officials said.
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