Maharashtra: Two women Maoists killed in Gadchiroli encounter

NAGPUR: Two women Maoist cadres were allegedly neutralised during an encounter with C-60 jawans of Gadchiroli police on Monday in Maharashtra's Naikal-Hetalkasa forest along the border of Korchi and Dhanora taluka. The death toll of the reds likely to rise as police claimed that another few were critically injured.

Bodies of two unidentified women cadres of Maoists were retrieved from the forested region of Naikal and Hetalkasa following an encounter, more than 90km away from Gadchiroli headquarters, which had lasted for more than over an hour after it was kicked off at 8.30am. Police have also recovered several arms, weapons, ammunition, literature and materials of daily use from the encounter spot.

The operation was launched following a specific input about the presence and movements of the Maoists in the forest region where the gun-battle had kicked off after the reds spotted the advancing security forces.

This year so far police have managed to gun down around 47 Maoists, including 40 at Kasnasur and Nainer on April 22 and 23. The encounter at Kasnasur, where police had managed to eliminate 34 cadres, including two senior-ranking Maoists, which is considered to be the biggest success of any security forces in the nation against the red guerillas.

DIG, Naxal Range, Ankush Shinde said there are chances of retrieving of dead bodies during the ongoing searching operations cordoning off a substantial area adjoining the encounter site. "We are anticipating the Maoist formations of Company 4 or Tippagarh dalam or their combined strength to have engaged us in the gun battle. Once the operation is wrapped up then we can ascertain more facts about the gun-battle," he said.

Shinde also said the efforts of identifying the women neutralised in the police operations are on.