Three Naxalites carrying cash rewards on their heads were killed in two encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district, the police said today.
While two of the rebels were gunned down under the Kistaram police station area this afternoon, another was killed in the Kanhaiguda-Chintakonta jungles late last night, Sukma Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena said.
Joint teams of the state police's District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Special Task Force (STF) were involved in the operations, Meena told PTI.
As the security forces were cordoning off a forest close to Putpalli village near Kistaram, along the Telangana border and about 500km from Raipur, there was an exchange of fire between the ultras and the forces, he said.
The Naxals soon fled into the forest, but during the search that followed, the bodies of the two rebels in uniform were found along with an AK-47 rifle, an SLR rifle and a grenade launcher, among other things, Meena said.
At least 15 more outlaws were believed to have been injured in the shootout, but the SP said their colleagues had managed to drag them away from the spot.
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A search operation was on, he added.
The identities of the slain Naxals were being ascertained but a preliminary investigation suggested that one of them was an assistant military platoon commander while the other was a platoon party member. According to their ranks, they carried rewards of Rs 8 lakh on their heads, he said.
In the other incident which took place late last night, a patrolling team of security forces came under heavy fire while cordoning off the Kanhaiguda-Chintakonta jungles, Meena said.
After the ensuing gun-battle stopped, the forces found the body of a Naxalite in uniform in the area. A pistol and some explosives were found on the spot, he said.
The Naxal was identified as Soyam Kama, a member of the Konta Area Committee of the rebels, Meena said.
Kama was involved in several incidents of violence in the area and was carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, the official said.