The operation has caused a huge blow to the west Bastar divisions of Maoists: Police (Representational)
The nine Maoists killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Tuesday were high-value cadres carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 59 lakh, a senior police official said on Wednesday.
Of them, Randhir from the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, the strongest Maoist formation, carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh. He is the second DKSZC member killed in an encounter with security personnel this year, the official said.
Police on Tuesday said that nine "uniform-clad" Maoists, including six women, were gunned down in an encounter with security personnel during an anti-maoist operation along the Dantewada-Bijapur inter-district border.
The operation has caused a huge blow to the west Bastar and Darbha divisions of Maoists, considered influential formations of Maoist's in the area, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj P told PTI.
Despite facing challenging geographical conditions during the monsoon, security forces successfully executed the operation and inflicted damage to Maoists in their stronghold, he said.
Personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard, Bastar Fighters and 111th and 230th battalions of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were involved in the operation, he said.
Randhir was a member of DKSZC of Maoists and carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head, Sundarraj said.
In April, DKSZC member Joganna was killed in an encounter with security forces in the Narayanpur district of Bastar division. DKSZC handles Maoists' activities in the Bastar region in Chhattisgarh besides parts of adjoining Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana and Maharashtra.
The IG said six others - military platoon member Kumari Shanti, area committee members Sushila Madkam, Gangi Muchaki and Kosa Madvi, divisional committee security dalam member Lalita, and Kavita, guard in Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) - carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh each.
Maoists Hidme Madkam and Kamlesh carried a bounty of Rs 2 lakh each, the senior official added.
A cache of weapons, including one SLR (Self-Loading Rifle), one .303 rifle, two 12-bore rifles, one 315-bore rifle, one 8 mm rifle, one BGL (barrel grenade launcher) and explosives, items of daily use and other Maoist-related materials were recovered from the spot, IPS officer Sundarraj said.
"Blood stains at the spot suggest several other Maoists were either killed or injured in the action," he said.
So far this year, 153 Maoists have been killed in separate encounters in Bastar division, comprising seven districts, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukma, the IG said.
During the same period, 669 Maoists have been arrested and 656 have surrendered before police in the division, officials said. Two more Maoists have been neutralised this year in the state's Dhamtari district, a part of the Raipur division.
After Tuesday's encounter, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai hailed security forces for their latest success against Maoists and asserted his government has resolved to end the Left-wing extremism by March 2026.
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