Security forces gunned down two suspected Maoists and unearthed a Naxal camp during a fierce 12-hour-long encounter along the Ranchi-Khunti border, a senior police officer said on Monday.
“Two Maoists were killed in the encounter last night,” Deputy Inspector General of Police (Chhotanagpur Range), R. K. Mallick, told PTI over phone.
The bodies were, however, taken away by the Maoists.
A large cache of weapons and explosives were recovered during a search operation after the encounter in the dense forests bordering Ranchi-Khunti districts, the DIG said.
A camp, which had been put up by the Maoists, was destroyed.
The operation involving personnel from specialised State force for Naxal operation - Jaguar, CRPF and Special Action Force- had began on Sunday following intelligence inputs about the presence of top Naxal leader Kundan Pahan in the forests of Rabou village.
This was the longest anti-Naxal operation by the security forces this month.
