Maharashtra: 5 Maoists killed in encounter with security forces in Gadchiroli

NAGPUR: Five Maoists were killed in a gunfight with Crack-60 commandos in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district on Monday.
The security forces also recovered substantial material, including arms and ammunition.
The encounter took place in the Khobramenda forest.
Substantial numbers of Maoists had assembled in the northern part of the district with sabotage plans as a part of their ongoing Tactical counter offensive campaigns (TCOC).
Gadchiroli police's C-60 commandos had stepped up their counter domination exercises into the remote areas and also along the Maharashtra-Chhattishgarh-Telangana borders.
Search operations are still on in the locality.
One woman cadre was seriously injured during an encounter two days back in the forest of Hetalkasa.
Though the recovered bodies of slain Maoists have remained unidentified as of now, police sources said the casualties likely to be from the Maoists' formations of Tippagarh Local organizational squad (LOS) and two sections of Company Number 4 who dominate the northern part of the tribal-populated backward district in Vidarbha's extreme east.
"Operations were already under way in the northern part of the district after information was received about movements of the Maoists," DIG, Naxal range, Sandip Patil said.
"Two days back, our commandos had thrice ripped open ambushes laid by the Maoists during which a woman Cadre was injured. The latest operation was conducted by a fresh squad of commandos," added Patil.
"We are giving ample opportunities and also appealing the Maoists to surrender and refrain from attacking security forces," he said.