Maharashtra: One naxal neutralised during encounter with police in Gadchiroli

Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) [India], April 1 (ANI): A Naxalite has been neutralised in an encounter that broke out between police and Naxalites in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli on Saturday, the police said.
"After the exchange of fire, when the jawans conducted a search in the forest area, 1 male Naxal body was found at the spot of incidence," the police said.
The deceased has been identified as Sameer alias Sadhu Linga Mohanda (31), a resident of Tumarkodi of Gadchiroli.
There are several serious offences against the deceased naxal, the police said.
He was recruited as a member of Chatgaon Dalam in the year 2014-15 and from 2017 he was the security guard of Bhaskar in platoon no 7 and from 2018, he was working in Company Four.
The police also seized large numbers of naxal material from the spot including a country-made rifle, a Bharmar rifle, and a 303 rifle.
"During an operation was going on, a group of 60 to 70 Naxalites fired indiscriminately in the Hiker forest area of Jambhya Gatta AOP, using BGL and other weapons with the intention of killing the jawans and looting their weapons," the police said.
The police further said that despite repeated calls to surrender, the Naxalites continued to fire on the police party indiscriminately. In response, the jawans were forced to retaliate and engage the Naxals in the approx 1-hour-long encounter.
Eventually, the Naxals managed to flee into the dense forest seeing surmounting police pressure.
The police said that in the lead-up to a planned agitation in the Todgatta region, Naxalites had threatened the local population to join the agitation.
The police further said that according to the confidential sources, the Naxals had strategically distributed pamphlets, to instigate local villagers to support their cause and to oppose the road work and other developmental work on the false pretext of starting operations of Damkodwahi Mining.
"There was a credible input that a large congregation of Naxals is present near to Todgatta to intimidate villagers, and they were planning large-scale ambush and attack on operating police parties," the police said.
The official also said that to counter this, an anti-naxal operation comprising C60 commandoes was launched today early morning.
Maharashtra government had announced a reward of two lakh rupees on the deceased.
The search operation is still underway in the forest area.
The process of registering offence in this matter is on and further investigation is being done. (ANI)