Cop martyred, Naxal with Rs 10 lakh bounty gunned down in encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker

Kanker, March 3

A police constable and a Naxalite, who was carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on Sunday, a senior police official said.

The gunfight occurred in a forest near Hidur village under Chhotebethiya police station limits, where a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P said.

The operation was launched based on a specific input about the presence of Naxalites in the Hidur forest, he said.

Personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Bastar Fighters, both units of the state police, along with the Border Security Force (BSF) and district force, were involved in the operation, the official said.

The patrolling team was cordoning off the forest when Naxalites fired on them indiscriminately, leading to the gun battle, he said.

Constable Ramesh Kurethi of the Bastar Fighters, who hailed from Sangam village in Pakhanjur area of Kanker, was martyred, he said.

“The body of a Naxalite identified as Nagesh was recovered from the spot along with an AK-47 rifle. Nagesh was self-styled Partapur Local Guerrilla Squad (LGS) Commander/Area Committee Member (ACM). He had a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head,” the IG said.

A search operation was under way at the site, he added.