RAIPUR: Security forces dealt a significant blow to Maoist insurgency on Friday, neutralising a key cadre in a gun battle in the dense forests of the Indravati region under Bhairamgarh police station in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, a longstanding Maoist hotspot.
The operation commenced around 6.00 a.m. when a District Reserve Guard (DRG) team from Bijapur, based on precise intelligence about Maoist presence in the Adwara-Kotameta forests, initiated a search mission.
Intermittent firing broke out soon after, continuing as forces engaged the armed group, police officers said.
Bijapur Superintendent of Police Dr Jitendra Yadav confirmed the recovery of one Maoist's body from the site. The deceased was identified as Fagnu Madvi, aged 35, from Gorna village, serving as Area Committee Member (ACM) of the Bhairamgarh Area Committee, with a Rs 5 lakh bounty on his head.