Raipur: In a major breakthrough for security forces, 36 Maoists were shot dead in a forest along the Narayanpur-Dantewada border in Chhattisgarh, reported NDTV.
The joint anti-Maoist operation by District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF), which began a day earlier, met with success on Friday. It was around 1 pm that the first the first Naxalites were eliminated. The encounter was continuing till evening.
A huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the slain Maoists, including AK 47 rifles and SLRs.
According to sources close to security forces, no security personnel has received any serious injury as of now.
Having received intelligence reports about a large Maoist presence, multiple teams were formed in the joint operation and sent to villages in Govel, Nendur and Thulthuli under Orcha and Barsur police stations on Thursday.
Combing operations were launched in these villages, while the encounter broke out past noon on Friday in the forests near Nendur-Thulthuli.
The forces believe that a few Maoists have retreated deeper into the forest, and the hunt is on for them.
This is one of the biggest successes for security forces in their battle to eliminate Maoist insurgency in Chhattisgarh.
Last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah warned Maoists that they must surrender or be prepared to face an all-out operation soon, reiterating the Narendra Modi government’s resolve to eliminate Naxalism from India.