RAIPUR: A Maoist cadre was killed in an encounter with security forces in Sukma district, about 500 km south of Raipur, on Tuesday, the Bastar police said.Three personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) also sustained injuries in a pressure Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast during the operation.A gunfight broke out between security forces and Maoists, and the intermittent exchange of fire continued in the forested terrain along the inter-district border region of Sukma-Dantewada.“Based on intelligence inputs regarding the presence of Maoists in the given area of Sukma district, a joint team comprising Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a search operation. So far, a body of a male Maoist has been recovered from the encounter site as the search operation continues. Arms, ammunition, explosive materials and items of daily use were also recovered by the forces,” said a senior police officer.All the injured jawans have been safely evacuated and referred to a higher health centre for immediate medical attention, he added. Their conditions were stated to be stable and out of danger.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 426 Maoist cadres have allegedly been killed in various encounters in the Bastar Range.Sukma, among the seven Maoist-affected districts in the Bastar zone, is cited as an epicentre of the left-wing extremist group in south Chhattisgarh.
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