Maharashtra: 4 suspected Maoists killed in 8-hour encounter in Koparshi forest

The encounter broke out in Koparshi forest near eastern Maharashtra’s border with Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district

Mumbai: Four suspected Maoists were killed on Wednesday in an eight-hour-long encounter with security forces in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, police said.

The police recovered the four bodies, along with a self-loading rifle, a .303 rifle, and two Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifles (Representative photo)

The encounter broke out in Koparshi forest near eastern Maharashtra’s border with Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district, after the Maoists allegedly opened fire at the security forces, people aware of the development said.

The police recovered the four bodies, along with four weapons — a self-loading rifle, a .303 rifle, and two Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifles — during a search conducted in the area, an officer said, requesting anonymity.

The security forces, comprising 19 C-60 units and two units of the Quick Action Teams from the Central paramilitary force, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), had intercepted the Maoists based on an intelligence input on Monday.

“A credible information was received on Monday that Gatta Dalam, Company Number 10, and other Maoist organisations of Gadchiroli Division were present in the Koparshi forest area on the Gadchiroli-Narayanpur border,” the police officer said.

Search operations are continuing in the area to track down the remaining Maoists, the officer added.