Bhawanipatna: Three Maoists were gunned down in an exchange of fire with the police in Odisha’s Kalahandi district on Tuesday.
A Deputy Superintendent of Police (SDP) also sustained bullet injury during the gunbattle that reportedly took place near Tapareng-Ludengarh reserve forest under the jurisdiction of M.Rampur police station of the district.
Acting on an information, police personnel were undertaking a combing operation in the area when the ultras were spotted. On being challenged, the police team retaliated and three naxals were shot dead during the fierce exchange of fire that ensued.
The operation was launched in view of the week-long Maoist campaign as part of their strategy to regroup in the region.
The police official, who sustained bullet injury on a leg, has been rushed to Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital at Balangir for treatment, sources said.
A search operation was conducted after the encounter and the bodies of three red rebels were recovered from the site. One AK-47 assault rifle was also recovered, while combing operation has been stepped up in the area to ascertain if more naxals are present.
The operation comes close on the heels of the recent naxal attack in Dantewada area of Chhattisgarh in which 10 District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel and a civilian driver were killed on April 26.
Following the Chhattisgarh naxal attack, Odisha Police had sounded an alert in bordering areas of the state. A high alert had been sounded in Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Nuapada, Bargarh and Kalahandi districts of Odisha as a precautionary measure.
