Gadchiroli: The 12 Naxalites, including three senior cadres, who were killed in an encounter with security forces in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra carried a total cash reward of Rs 86 lakh on their heads, police said on Thursday.
Due to the success of the operation, the entire Korchi-Tipagad and Chatgaon-Kasansur Dalams of Maoists have been wiped out, they claimed.
Twelve Naxalites, including five women, were killed and three security personnel injured in the encounter that took place on Wednesday near the Chhattisgarh border. The exchange of fire started in the afternoon and lasted around six hours, an official said.
The firefight, which lasted nearly six hours, began after police received credible information about the presence of the Naxalites near the Chhattisgarh border. Seven units of the anti-Maoist C-60 squad, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Vishal Nagargoje, were dispatched immediately.
Following the exchange of gunfire, a search unearthed the bodies of seven male and five female Maoists along with a cache of weapons and explosives. According to SP Neelotpal, the operation significantly diminished Maoist strength in north Gadchiroli.
