Security forces seized a huge cache of Maoist-related materials after a gun-battle with the insurgents in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bijapur district, a police official said here today.
Bijapur Superintendent of Police K L Dhruv told PTI that the skirmish took place in the forests of Bijapur police station area while a joint team of security personnel was out on a search operation.
Acting on a tip-off about a large group of Maoists gathering in the region, a joint team of the Special Task Force (STF) and district force was rushed towards Munga, Sawnar, Mankeli and Korma villages, located around 450 km away from the state capital, the police official said.
While cordoning off the forest area between Mankeli and Munga, a group of armed Maoist cadres opened fire, prompting security forces to retaliate, he said.
The intermittent firing lasted for around half-an-hour after which the rebels fled into the core forests taking the cover of a rough terrain, the official said, adding that "No harm was reported to either side in the encounter".
"Bow and arrows, bags, Maoist banners, posters, pamphlets, literature, electric wire and torches besides items of daily use were seized in large quantities from the spot," he said.
