Thirteen Maoists were killed in the forest area of Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli in an operation carried out by the elite C-60 commandos, reported Press Trust of India (PTI).
As per the report, the gunfight started at around 4 am in Paithi jungles under the Kotmi outpost of the district where the Maoists had gathered for a meeting.
Gadchiroli Deputy inspector general police (DIG) Sandip Patil told PTI that the commandos launched a search operation in the forest on the basis of specific inputs. “Based on specific inputs, the police party, comprising C-60 commandos, had launched a search operation in the forest,” said Patil.
He added that the Maoists spotted the police party and opened fire forcing the C-60 commandos to retaliate. The thirteen slain Maoists were all killed in the retaliatory firing, as per the report.
The gunfight lasted for an hour after which the remaining Maoists escaped into the dense forest, Ankit Goyal, Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli, told PTI. Bodies of the slain Maoists have been recovered and a search operation is on in the nearby areas, reads the report.