Three out of the five Maoists killed in the encounter have been identified as Kalimela Dalam area committee member Unga Sodhi, women members of Kalimela Dalam Mase Madhi & Seema Kendruka.
However, a leader of Kalimela Dalam Division of CPI (Maoist) Ranadeb managed to escape the spot.
According to reports, two teams of the Special Operation Group (SOG) were conducting a combing operation in Kalimela area of the district since Sunday when the security personnel spotted the presence of around 15 red rebels in the forest.
After finding the security personnel, the Maoists opened fire at them. The SOG jawans fired back in retaliation killing five ultras, reports added.
“Five cadres of Ranadeb’s group who held the ranks of Area Committee Member (ACM) were killed in the gunfight. The security personnel have also seized four weapons including two INSAS rifles, one SLR, one 303 rifle and a hand grenade from the spot,” Koche added.
Meanwhile, the exchange of fire between security personnel and Maoists is still on, sources said.
On the other hand, DGP RP Sharma termed the encounter by the SOG jawans as one of the best operations in the State.
“Five cadres were reportedly killed in the gun fight and a huge cache of arms and ammunition has been recovered from the spot. However, the identity of the deceased naxals will be known after a detailed investigation,” the DGP said.
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After noticing the security personnel, about six Maoists fired at them and the SOG personnel retaliated, leading to a fierce encounter. While one Maoist was killed, the others fled the scene. A rifle has been seized from the place, he said.
"A search operation has been launched in the area and efforts are on to track the Maoists, who disappeared deep inside the forest," he said.
The group of Maoists was involved in the recent killing of a contractor at Babupadar village, police said.
The armed rebels had dragged contractor Bhima Dora, who was engaged in road construction, from his residence on Sunday night and his bullet-riddled body, was found near the village on Monday morning, the police said.
Among the fatalities notched this morning were a North Gadchiroli Commander, Pawan Hichami alias Bhaskar, and Deputy Commander Naitam Sukhdeo, besides 3 Dalam members, said DIG, Naxal Operations, Sandip Patil.
The extremists jointly carried a reward of Rs 4.30 million (Rs 43 lakh) on their heads and were wanted in scores of other serious crimes in the region, he added.
Detailing the first encounter, Patil said it took place when the Gadchiroli police’s C-60 Commandos team was engaged in a search and combing operation on Saturday morning, culminating in a fierce exchange of fire with around 40-50 extremists hiding in the jungles at various locations.
Exchange of fire continued for nearly two hours after which the Maoists retreated and escaped into the forest that morning.
Later, the police scanned the vicinity and recovered three pressure cooker bombs, four different types of rifles including an AK-47, 303 rifle magazines, live cartridges, detonators, electric wires bundles, firecracker bombs, solar plates, pen drives, memory cards and other electronic devices, medicines and other material, Patil told media persons.
After 48 hours, a new team of commandos resumed the jungle search operations, based on intelligence information, at around 7.30 a.m. on Monday and encountered a group of around 25 Maoists who opened indiscriminate firing on them.
In the retaliatory firing during this second encounter, the C-60 commandos managed to gun down five Maoists, including two women, and a search is on to trace out if there were more victims and terror material stashed in the vicinity, Patil said.
Efforts are underway to identify the other slain victims, which groups/dalams they belonged to, their ranks, and other details even as the forces remain on high alert as the Holi festival was being celebrated.
Patil said that the government consistently appeals to the Maoists to surrender and all efforts would be made to rehabilitate them in the social mainstream, otherwise they would have to face “grim consequences”.