13 Naxals killed in encounter with police in Gadchiroli

At least 13 Naxals were killed in an encounter with polices C-60 commandos in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra early on Friday, officials said.

The gunfight was around 5.30 am in the forest at Kotmi in Etapalli, where the Naxals had gathered for a meeting, said Sandeep Patil, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Gadchiroli.

Based on specific inputs, the police party, comprising C-60 commandos, had launched a search operation in the forest, he said. However, the Maoists spotted the police party and opened fire, following which the C-60 commandos retaliated, in which 13 Naxals were killed, he said.

The encounter lasted around an hour, after which the remaining Naxals escaped into the dense forest, said Ankit Goyal, Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli. Bodies of the Naxals have been recovered from the spot and a search operation in the area is still on, he said.

The police had killed five Maoists two months ago in the same region. The ultras together carried a prize of Rs.43 lakh on them, the police said.

The police are combing the area and reportedly reinforcements have arrived, too. There were unconfirmed reports that a cache of AK-47s were recovered from the spot. This could not be independently verified.

Gadchiroli district is on the eastern fringe of Maharashtra and is the largest by land area in the state. It has been the hotbed of the Maoists and encounters are not rare. In 2019, 15 personnel were killed when Maoists ambushed a party with IEDs.

(With inputs from Agencies)