Woman Naxal Gunned down in Encounter in Chhattisgarh

Raipur: A woman naxal was gunned down on Friday in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's

Sukma district, police said.

The gun-battle took place at around 4 pm in the forests under Puspal police station area when a team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was returning after carrying out an anti-Maoist operation, Deputy Inspector General (anti-naxal operations) Sundarraj P told PTI.

The DRG is a locally raised force vested with the task to tackle Maoists.

When the patrolling team was advancing through forests between Tulsi and Mundial villages, located around 450km away

from the state capital Raipur, a small group of ultras opened fire on them, triggering the gunfight, he said.

After a brief exchange of fire, the naxals fled from the spot, the IPS officer said.

Later, during a search of the area, the body of a female naxal along with a 12 bore firearm and its live cartridges were recovered, Sundarraj said.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), naxal literature, medicines, items of daily use and other Maoist-related materials were also seized from the spot, he added.