Five of 31 Naxalites killed in Bijapur encounter carried cumulative bounty of Rs 25 lakh

Police raids on Maoists. (File Photo)

Chhattisgarh police on Monday said five of the 31 Naxalites gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Bijapur district carried a cumulative bounty of Rs 25 lakh.

Security personnel have recovered 24 firearms and a huge cache of explosives from the encounter site on a forested hill, they said.

In one of the biggest strikes on Naxalites in the state, security forces on Sunday killed 31 ultras, including 11 women, on a forested hill along the border of Madded and Farsegarh police station areas of Bijapur.

Two security personnel were also killed in the gunfight, and as many others were injured.

According to police, the operation was launched by the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and Bastar Fighters, all units of the state police, on February 7, based on inputs about the presence of special zonal committee member of Telangana state committee of Maoist Bandi Prakash, Bhaskar and area committee members of the national area park committee.

Five slain cadres have been identified, and efforts are on to ascertain the identity of the others, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj P said in a press conference here.

He said that of the deceased, Hunga Karma, a divisional committee member of the West Bastar division of Maoists, carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh, Mangu Hemla, platoon no. 11 commander, Subhash Oyam, a member of the national park area committee, and Sannu, a Gangaloor area committee member, carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh each.

The official said Ramesh, a party member of the national park area committee, carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh.

The IG said an AK-47 rifle, its three magazines, a self-loading rifle (SLR), its two magazines, an Insas rifle, its magazine, a .303 rifle, its magazine, a .315 bore rifle and 30 cartridges, eight 12 bore guns, a rocket launcher, its four shells, six barrel-grenade launchers (BGL), its 14 shells and four muzzle-loading rifles, nine improvised explosive devices (IEDs), materials used in explosives, a laser printer, Maoist uniform, literature and medicines are among the materials recovered from the encounter site.

"Now, Maoists are not left with any other option except giving up violence and surrendering. Hence, an appeal has been made to the outlaws to immediately quit violent activities and join the mainstream or be ready to face the consequences," Sundarraj said.

Earlier in the day, a wreath-laying ceremony was held in the New Police Lines for head constable Naresh Dhruv of the DRG and STF constable Vasit Ravte, who were martyred in Sunday's encounter.

Of the 81 Naxalites gunned down in the state so far this year, 65 were killed in the Bastar division comprising seven districts, including Bijapur.

Last year, 219 Naxalites were neutralised by security forces in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh, according to police.