Phulbani: Four Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the security personnel in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Sunday morning.
According to reports, acting on intelligence input, a joint operation was carried out by the District Voluntary Force (DVF) and Special Operation Group (SOG) personnel inside the forest near Sirla village under Tumudibandh police limits at about 7 am.
During the operation, the Maoists opened fire at the security personnel who immediately retaliated. However, after an hour-long encounter, the left-wing extremists managed to escape.
The security personnel later found the body of four Maoist cadres including a woman and seized one Insas rifle, a country-made gun and several articles from the forest area.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that the deceased Maoists, against whom the government had announced a cash reward, belonged to the Bansadhara-Ghumusara-Nagabali (BGN)) division of the outlawed CPI-Maoist outfit.
Following the incident, combing operation in the area has been intensified.
