Three Maoists, including two women, were gunned down in an encounter with security personnel at Tandiki forest area close to the Malkangiri-Chhattisgarh border today, police said.
"We have already recovered bodies of the three Maoists - two women and one man - from the encounter site. We cannot rule out death of more ultras in the incident," Maklangiri SP Mitrabhanu Mohapatra, who led the operation, told reporters here.
Stating that the operation was carried out based on the inteligence feedback, Mohapatra said jawans of Odisha's elite special operation group (SOG) and district voluntary force (DVF) participated in the operation.
"All of a sudden they opened fire on the security personnel who were looking for the secret maoist camp inside the jungle. When we retaliated, they fled from the scene leaving behind five guns and other materials," the SP said.
The police launched attack when the red rebels were holding a meeting marking observance of their Martyrs Week.
Today was the fourth day of their week, he said, adding that one Insas, two SLR rifles, three country-made guns along with many explosive materials, arms and ammunition have been seized from the spot.
Mohapatra said that the police suspected the ultras, about 30 in number, had assembled at one place to chalk out strategy to launch any attack to mark their Martyr's Week.
To a question he said the bodies, sent for post-mortem at the district headquarters hospital, were yet to be identified.
