A team of Gadchiroli police found one decomposed dead body of a woman Naxalite from the forest near Sindhesur village in Dhanora division of the district on Sunday.
On April 12, Sindhesur village had witnessed an encounter between police and the Naxals resulting in the death of four Naxalites, two civilians and a police Jawan.
Police claimed that the dead body may be of a Naxalite killed in last month’s encounter.
A team of Gadchiroli police and the CRPF were carrying out search operation near Sindhesur forest on Sunday when they found the dead body, informed the Gadchiroli police in a press note.
One .303 Rifle with 33 rounds, two backpacks and one pair of shoes were also found near the dead body, said the police.
The Naxals usually do not leave dead bodies on the encounter spot. They drag their comrade’s dead bodies inside forest.
When asked about the delay in finding the dead body, Gadchiroli police PRO Dharmendra Joshi said, “One of our Jawan was killed in that encounter so we did not carry out search operations deep inside forest that day. The dead body seems to be of a senior cadre because the weapon found near her dead body is usually carried by a senior cadre”.