Three left-wing extremists, including a prominent leader of the outlawed People's War group, were killed in an encounter with the police in Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh on Monday morning.
According to a state police spokesman, the encounter, which commenced at 0730 IST, was on till noon.
One of the slain Naxalites has been identified as Makka Mallesham alias Bhaskar, a district committee member of the People's War in Nizamabad.
The police recovered four firearms -- a self-loading rifle, one .303 rifle, one 8-mm pistol, and a musket-- besides some ammunition from the spot.