Gadchiroli: At least three Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, near the border of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, officials said on Friday. One C-60 commando of the Maharashtra Police also lost his life during the exchange of fire.
According to officials, a joint team of the Maharashtra Police and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) recovered the bodies of three Naxalites during a search operation—one body was found late on Thursday, while two more, including that of a man and a woman, were recovered on Friday morning. The identities of the slain Naxalites are yet to be established.
Security forces also recovered weapons from the encounter site, including one AK-47 rifle and two Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs).
During the operation, two jawans from the elite anti-Naxalite C-60 commando unit were injured in the exchange of fire. They were airlifted to a nearby hospital for urgent medical treatment. However, one of them later succumbed to his injuries at the sub-district hospital in Bhamragad.
The martyred C-60 commando has been identified as Deepak Chinna Madavi (38), a resident of Aheri and a permanent resident of Mandra, Damrancha, in Aheri taluka.
Another injured jawan, identified as Joga Madavi, a resident of Kishtyapalli, sustained a bullet injury during the encounter on Thursday night. Police said he is out of danger and will be airlifted to Gadchiroli for further treatment.
Meanwhile, the anti-Naxal operation is still underway in the dense forest area. Security teams have moved deeper into the forest to recover additional bodies and materials. Gadchiroli Police said further details will be shared at regular intervals.
According to officials, C-60 commandos of the Maharashtra Police have been conducting sustained search operations in the area for the past three days as part of ongoing efforts to curb Naxalite activity in the region.
