"Though five ultras died on the spot, their leader Panda managed to escape. Our men are searching for him inside the jungle," said a senior police officer enaged in the anti-Maoist operation.
The police suspected Panda had fled to Daringbadi in Kandhamal district and a search is on in all directions.
Panda had earlier escaped the police dragnet after the release of two abducted Italian nationals in April this year.
After being expelled from CPI(Maoist) in August, Panda had formed his own group Odisha Maovadi Party (OMP). "Panda had been onto a big build up of his group by claiming they were not indulging in violence," Director General of Police Prakash Mishra said.
"We felt betrayed as Panda is busy increasing the strength of OMP by recruiting people while giving an impression that he means peace," said a senior officer adding the police would not allow him to gather strength.
Besides abducting two Italian tourists in March, Panda was responsible for an attack on a police armoury at Nayagarh and the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati which had sparked communal violence in Kandhamal district in 2008.
Since the operation is continuing, the police here could not specify the exact persons so far arrested and the quantity of seized items from the jungle.
Meanwhile, Panda's wife Subhashree Das alias Mili Panda, warned the state government of major violence if it attempted to foil the peace process initiated by some eminent personalities of the state.
