Chhattisgarh: Naxal with Rs 5 lakh bounty killed in encounter

A Naxal, carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, was gunned down in an encounter with security forces here in jungles between Chikpal and Marjum.

Raipur: A Naxal carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Wednesday, a police official said.

The rebel was wanted in connection with several Naxal incidents, Dantewada's Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava said.

The gunfight took place in a forest between Chikpal and Marjum villages early morning when a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) was out on an anti-Naxal operation, he said.

After the exchange of fire stopped, the body of an ultra, identified as Hidma Muchaki, was recovered from the spot along with a 9 mm pistol, he said.

Muchaki, who was active as a member of the Katekalyan Area Committee of Maoists, was involved in several Naxal incidents in the area and carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, Pallava said.

He said search operation was still on at the encounter site, located around 400 km from the state capital Raipur.

PTI