Two suspected Maoists were gunned down in a joint operation by Gadchiroli police and their Chhattisgarh counterparts on Monday morning.
Police said that in the first encounter in Sandra area of Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, Dalam commander Mangi, who carried a Rs 12-lakh reward on her head, was killed. An Insas rifle and six rounds were recovered from the spot. In the next encounter around noon about two km south of the first encounter spot, a Dalam member was killed, said police, adding that his identity is yet to be established.
Police said that while the first rebel group they encountered had around 12 cadres, the second had 20.
“We had knowledge of Maoist movement in the area. An operation was planned with 120 personnel from Gadchiroli police and 60 from Bijapur. It started early morning and resulted in two encounters. This is a significant success in an area that has rarely seen Maoist casualties,” Gadchiroli SP Sandip Patil said.