"The face-off between the naxals and joint contingent of district police and Indo-Tibetan Border Police took place in the forests of Bukmarka Pahadi area under Manpur police station limits (over 100 kms from Rajnandgaon town) today afternoon," Rajnandgaon Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Shukla told PTI.
"The killed naxalite has been identified as Udham Singh, Commander of Mohla Local Operating Squad and secretary of Mohla Manpur area committee of Maoists," the SP said, adding, he was carrying a reward of Rs 2.10 lakh on his head.
According to the officer, the patrol party was on a combing operation from the last few days in the border region of Chhattisagarh and Maharashtra. In the afternoon, on seeing the patrol party in Bukmarka Pahadi, ultras started firing indiscriminately at them. The search party retaliated and in the ensuing gunfight that lasted for nearly two hours the naxal commander was killed, the SP said.
"Two more naxals had received bullet injuries, but owing to the heavy rains, the ultras managed to take them to the core forest region. However, the commander's body was recovered," the SP said. The police also recovered one SLR, one Insas rifle, two 12 bore guns, one 315 bore katta (country-made pistol), live cartridges of SLR and other rifles and a couple of detonators, the SP said.