Dreaded Naxal gunned down by police during encounter in Chhattisgarh

Raipur: A dreaded Maoist, carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, was gunned down in an encounter with the security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, the police said today.

The skirmish took place late Wednesday night in the Kanhaiguda-Chintakonta forest when a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Special Task Force (STF) was out on an anti-Maoist operation, Sukma Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena told PTI.

When the patrolling team was cordoning off the forest, located around 500 kms from the state capital, the Maoists started firing on the security personnel, leading to a gun battle between the two sides, he said.

After the guns fell silent, the police recovered the body of a Maoist clad in 'uniform', the SP said.

A pistol, some explosives and items of daily use were also recovered from the spot, he said.

The killed Maoist was identified as Soyam Kama, the Konta area committee member of Maoists, Meena said.

Kama, carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, was involved in several deadly Maoist attacks in the area, he said.

Further details were awaited as the security men were still carrying out a search in the area, the SP added.