Two Naxals, including a woman, were today gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, police said.
The gun-battle took place this afternoon in Purangel forest under Kirandul police station limits when a team of District Reserve Group (GRP) was out on a counter-insurgency operation, Inspector General (Bastar Range) S R P Kalluri told PTI by phone.
After a 1000-year-old Lord Ganesh idol atop a thickly forested Dholkal mountain in Dantewada was damaged a few days ago allegedly by Maoists, security forces had stepped up patrolling in the jungles adjacent to the mountain to trace the vandals, the IG said.
When a team of DRG was advancing through forest of Purangel, they came under heavy fire from a group of armed ultras, leading to a gun-battle between both sides, he said.
The gunfight stopped after rebels escaped into the core forests. The DRG personnel later recovered the bodies of two ultras, including a woman, from the spot, around 345 km from the state capital here, the police officer said.
Besides, a .303 rifle, a 315 bore country-made revolver and a huge cache of medicines were recovered from the place, Kalluri added.
"The identity of the rebels was being ascertained. Prima facie it appears they belonged to the medical supply team of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) as a large quantity of medicines was seized from the encounter spot," the IG said.
More details will be available after the patrolling party comes back to its camp, Kalluri added.
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