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At least 22 naxals have been killed in an ongoing encounter near the Keregutta Hills in Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh, police said on Wednesday.
According to a police official, the encounter is still underway in Bijapur district along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border under 'Mission Sankalp'. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai also confirmed the fatalities, stating that a large-scale anti-Naxal operation has been underway for several days in the region. "For many days, anti-naxal operations have been going on near Karegutta Hills on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. Till now, more than 22 bodies of naxals have been found there," he said. Meanwhile, a woman Naxalite was killed and a .303 rifle was recovered during an encounter with security forces in the forested border area of Bijapur district on Tuesday. The gunfight took place on May 5 in the dense jungles along Bijapur's southwestern border. After the exchange of fire, security personnel recovered the body of a uniformed woman Maoist along with a .303 rifle from the encounter site, officials confirmed. Based on traces found at the site, there is a strong possibility that several other Naxalites were either killed or injured in the operation, an official statement said. Earlier on April 28, as many as 24 Naxalites, including 14 Naxalites carrying a reward of Rs 28.50 lakhs, surrendered before the police. "14 Naxalites with a total reward of Rs 28.50 lakh surrendered, and a total of 24 Naxalites surrendered in Bijapur," Bijapur Additional Superintendent of Police Chandrakant Governa said. "Since January 1, 2025, 213 Naxalites involved in several incidents have been arrested, 203 Naxalites have surrendered, and a total of 90 Naxalites have been killed in different encounters in the district," he added. All the Naxalites who surrendered and joined the mainstream of society were given a cheque of Rs 50,000 each as an incentive. (ANI)
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