Kashipur : At least nine Maoists were gunned down in an encounter with the police in a hilly and forested area of Orissa’s Naxal-hit Rayagada district on Sunday morning, police said.
The gunbattle took place in Kashipur-Kalyansinghpur border area, after the police conducted a raid following information about presence of the ultras there, Director General of Police Manmohan Praharaj said.
Bodies of nine rebels and some weapons and explosive materials were found in the area where the Maoists were believed to have set up a camp, he said.
A police team, led by sub-divisional police officer of Muniguda, R. Prakash, raided the site at Bhamramali near Huma Jharan after getting information about movement of Maoists, DIG Soumendra Priyadarshi said.
The operation was carried out by the personnel of Orissa State Armed Police, he said.
Additional force was sent to the area for conducting combing operation and stepping up patrolling, the DIG said.