Five Naxalites Killed in Bijapur Encounter, Weapons and Explosives Seized

Security forces recover arms, explosives, and Maoist literature in a major anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district.

Bijapur (Chhattisgarh), January 12: In a significant anti-Maoist operation, security forces neutralized five Naxalites, including two women, during an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Sunday, police officials confirmed.

Bijapur Superintendent of Police (SP) Jitendra Yadav stated, "The bodies of two female and three male Naxalites have been recovered. Their identities are yet to be confirmed." The operation also led to the seizure of several weapons and explosives from the Bandepara-Korenjed forests under the Madded police station area, part of the National Park region in Bijapur.

Recovered items included one SLR rifle, a 12-bore rifle, two single-shot rifles, a BGL launcher, a locally made Bharmar gun, explosives, and Maoist literature, SP Yadav added.

Details of the Encounter:

Acting on intelligence inputs about Naxalite presence in the area, a team of security forces launched the operation on January 11. The encounter began on Sunday morning and continued for several hours, ending by late afternoon.

"Following the exchange of fire, a search operation uncovered the bodies of five Naxalites in uniform," SP Yadav explained. The operation is still ongoing, with further updates awaited.

Recent IED Incident:

This development comes a day after a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was injured in an IED blast triggered by Naxalites in Bijapur. The jawan, part of a 196 Battalion team conducting area domination, is receiving treatment at the District Hospital in Bijapur.