Malkangiri: Two Maoists were killed Saturday during a fierce gunbattle with security forces near the Malkangiri border in Chhattisgarh, officials said. The exchange of fire broke out after a joint team of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) launched a joint combing operation based on intelligence reports of rebel movement in the forest. Security forces recovered the bodies of two insurgents following the encounter.
Preliminary reports suggest that one of the deceased is Maoist leader Papa Rao, a high-ranking Maoist leader. “The rebels fled into the deep forest after a prolonged shootout,” a spokesperson for the Bijapur police said. “During the subsequent search of the area, we recovered a significant cache of weapons, including AK-47 rifles and other materials.” Search operations remain underway in the dense terrain. Police officials stated that a comprehensive report will be released once the operation is fully concluded.
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