Thirteen Naxalites including seven women were neutralized in an encounter with police in the Etapalli forest area in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra on Friday.
According to Gadchiroli Police, an encounter between C-60 commandos of Police and Naxalites broke out at Paydi-Kotmi forest in Etapalli on Friday morning. The Naxalites had gathered there for a meeting. C-60 squad was successfully able to gun down 13 Naxalites during this operation.
"During the operation, AK-47s, SLRs, carbines, 303, 12-bore rifles, explosives were confiscated," reads the police statement.
During this season the collection of Tendu leaves is typically carried out in the Gadchiroli area. The Naxalites collect large sums of ransom from this trade, police said.
"The C-60 squad had received information about the meeting of the Naxalites in the forest, and accordingly, the team launched a planned search operation. C-60 team led by the Superintendent of Police Ankit Goyal carried out this operation," it added.
Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil has congratulated the police team for the successful operation.
"I will discuss the issue of increasing Naxalism on the Chhattisgarh border near Gadchiroli with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. We will soon initiate a discussion with the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh to explore various measures to prevent Naxal problems in the border areas," Patil said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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