RAIPUR: Two Maoists, including a woman cadre in uniform, were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Sukma district, about 450 km south of Raipur, on Saturday.“Based on specific inputs about the presence of Maoists in the forested terrain of Gundrajgudem within the Kistaram police station limits of Sukma, a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the elite unit of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) personnel launched a search operation on Friday late evening,” said Sunderraj P, Bastar Range Inspector General of Police.“On Saturday, at around 9 am, an encounter ensued and continued intermittently between the forces and the Maoists,” he added.“During the search operation in and around the encounter site, two bodies of Maoists, including one of a female, were recovered,” Sunderraj stated.The recovered bodies of the Maoists are yet to be identified. The forces also recovered weapons from the scene of the gun battle.There has been no report of any security personnel sustaining injuries in the gun battle, and further details were awaited.“There were bloodstains at the encounter site and apparent signs of bodies being dragged, suggesting a possibility that more Maoists might have been killed and injured in the gunfight. The forces are carrying out search operations in the region,” said Kiran Chauhan, Sukma district police chief.This year, 83 bodies of Maoists have been recovered so far in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh.Sukma remains one of the worst Maoist-affected districts in Bastar and being cited as an epicentre of left-wing extremists in south Chhattisgarh.
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