A special operation group (SOG) jawan was seriously injured after being shot at during an exchange of fire between police and Maoists in a forest in Odisha's Subarnapur district today, police said.
The exchange of fire ensued during a combing operation in the Patrapalli-Jharbahali forests under Ulunda police station, about 70 km from here, they said.
Arms including one SLR, four rifles, a hand grenade, a pistol besides other materials being used by the ultras were seized from the spot, DIG (Western Range), Sanjay Kumar said.
On a tip-off that Maoists active in Chattisgarh and Jharkhand had set up many camps in the area, the SOG with the help of local police had launched a combing operation in the area when they encountered retaliation which continued for a long time. However, the ultras succeeded in retreating into the forests, the sources said.
Combing operation in the area had been intensified and senior officials including superintendent of police, Subarnapur, N Sekhar had rushed to the spot.
