A woman naxal who carried a reward of Rs five lakh on her head was killed in a gun-battle with security forces in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Narayanpur district on Wednesday, police said.
Two security personnel were injured in the encounter, they added.
The exchange of fire broke out around 8 am in the jungle between Kademeta and Burgum villages under Chhotedongar police station area when a joint team of security forces was out on a counter-insurgency operation, Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg told PTI.
Personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of police, Special Task Force (STF) and Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) were involved in the operation, he said.
When the team was cordoning off the forest near a hillock close to Kademeta police camp, naxals, who had laid an ambush, triggered Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts and opened fire, Garg said.
"DRG head constable Rajkumar Sori and CAF constable Bal Kanwar Baghel were injuried," he said.
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"While Sori sustained injuries on his left thigh and shoulder in the IED blast, Baghel suffered a bullet injury in his left elbow," he said.
The security forces foiled the ambush by returning fire and gunned down a woman ultra, he said.
An SLR rifle fitted with telescopic sight, its cartridges, a .12 bore rifle, walkie-talkie set, ammunitionand material of daily use were recovered along with the body from the spot, the SP said.
Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P said the dead woman was Ranai, an Area Committee Member who was in charge of the East Bastar Division supply team of Maoists.
She was active as a naxal since 2007 and was allegedly involved in more than a dozen incidents of violence in Narayanpur area, the IG said, adding that Ranai was carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on her head as per her 'rank'.
The two injured personnel were airlifted to Raipur and admitted to a hospital and both were out of danger, he added.
Search operation has been intensified in the area to nab other rebels, he added.