One Maoist was killed in an exchange of fire between the Naxalites and the BSF personnel in Malkangiri district in South Odisha on Saturday night.
The encounter took place in the dense Chikalpali jungle located in the Ralegada panchayat area under Paparmetla police station of the cut-off area of Balimela reservoir bordering Andhra Pradesh.
The body of the slain ultra was recovered during the search operation on Sunday morning. He was a male but his identity had not been ascertained. The security personnel also recovered two guns and articles of day-to-day use from the spot. Details were awaited as the BSF personnel involved in the operation had not returned.
Additional forcesSpeaking to The Hindu , Malkangiri SP Akhileswar Singh said additional forces had been rushed to the spot and intense combing operation was on to track down the ultras, who had managed to escape after the encounter.
Basing on intelligence reports that a group of armed Maoists was camping inside jungle near Ralegada, a troupe from the BSF camp at Janabai launched an operation on Friday. They had stumbled upon the Maoist camp at around 11 p.m.
When the Maoists sensed the BSF personnel were approaching them, they opened fire, which was retaliated by the security forces. The exchange of fire continued for around half an hour.
According to sources, 300 rounds were fired from both the sides. The Naxalites escapes under the cover of darkness.
This was the first major success of the security forces in Malkangiri district after a series of kidnappings, murders, and damages caused to public property by the Maoists in the district during December 2013.
The rise in violent activities of the Maoists was attributed to infiltration of 100 armed Maoist cadre from Chhattisgarh into Malkangiri district.
