RAIPUR: At least four Maoist cadres were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in the south-western region of strife-torn Bijapur district, about 400 km south of Raipur, the Bastar police said on Saturday.An encounter ensued between a team of security forces and the Maoists in the evening hours. The gun-battle continues intermittently in the forested terrain.“Based on intelligence inputs regarding the presence of Maoists in the given location of Bijapur district, troops launched a search operation. A gunfight broke out in the evening. So far, four bodies of Maoist have been recovered along with the INSAS assault rifle, self-loading rifle and other weapons besides explosive materials and items of daily use from the encounter scene”, said Sundarraj P, Bastar range inspector general of police.As the search operation remains underway, further operational details were not shared owing to the safety concerns of the personnel engaged in the anti-Maoist campaign on the ground.In the last 18 months, as many as 425 Maoist cadres have been killed in various encounters in the Bastar Range.Bijapur, among the seven Maoist-affected districts in Bastar zone, is cited as an epicentre of the left-wing extremist group in south Chhattisgarh.Union Home Minister Amit Shah had in August last year declared that the country will be Maoist-free by March 31, 2026.
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