Five Naxalites gunned down in encounter with security forces in Gadchiroli district

Mumbai: In a fierce encounter, five Naxalites were killed by the police and security forces in the Bhamragad taluka of Maoist-infested Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra on Monday ahead of the Vidhan Sabha polls.

The encounter was still underway, when last reports came in.

The gunfight, in which commandos of the C-60 specialized combat unit of the Gadchiroli police and teams of the Central Reserve Police Force, were involved, took place along the Narayanpur area along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border.

As soon as the police and CRPF personnel reached the area where Maoists had gathered based on intelligence inputs, they faced indiscriminate fire from Naxalites.

The security personnel immediately retaliated and in the ensuing exchange of fire, five Maoists were killed.

The identities of the Naxalites have not yet been declared.

This is one of the big encounters in recent times.

On July 17, 12 Naxalites who died during a fierce encounter along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh boundary with the elite C-60 commando unit carried a bounty of Rs 86 lakh on their heads.

On 19 March, before the Lok Sabha polls, four Naxalites were gunned down.