Gadchiroli: At least five Naxals were gunned down in an encounter that broke out between them and police in the Khobramendha forest area in Gadchiroli district on Monday morning, a senior official said. The anti-Naxal operation was going on for the last three days and is still underway, he said.
"Five Naxals were killed in the operation in Khobramenda forest area of Gadchiroli," the official said.
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On Saturday, the district police seized a rifle and three pressure cooker bombs which Naxals were allegedly planning to use to ambush security forces, an official earlier said.
Acting on a tip-off about the rebels gathering in large numbers in a forest here against the backdrop of 'Naxal week' being observed by them, the Gadchiroli police's C-60 commandos had conducted an anti-Naxal operation on Saturday in the Hetalkasa forest area.
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Around 60 to 70 ultras had opened fire on the C-60 commandos, a specialised anti-Naxal unit, following which the security personnel retaliated, the police said. After firing from both sides for about an hour, the rebels had fled from the spot leaving behind their belongings.
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With PTI inputs
