2 Maoists killed in encounter near Raipur

RAIPUR: Two Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in the forests of Rajnandgaon district, about 70 km from here.
Acting on inputs about movement of Maoist vistaar party (expansion) for the past few days, the teams of special task force and district police launched a combing operation that led to gun-battle in the forest of Sukarta village on Wednesday night.
Two bodies were recovered along with weapons from the spot.
According to officials, there was a sudden firing from Maoists, after which the forces retaliated and a heavy exchange of fire ensued. Outnumbered, the rebels fled deep into the forest. During the search operation, security forces recovered bodies of two rebels and found a .315 bore gun and a pistol on them.
Police said that the slain Maoists were part of expansion team of rebels trying to spread out on the borders of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh termed as their new zone of operation. The region covers Balaghat, Gondia, Rajnandgaon, Mungeli and Kawardha districts of the state.
The police also arrested a Maoist commander while a Maoist couple surrendered in Dantewada district of Bastar region on Thursday.
A joint team of CRPF and district police arrested Baman Mandavi from Badegudra village. Mandavi was involved in Mailawada landmine attack in March last year in which seven CRPF personnel were killed.
The couple, Dinesh Kadti and his wife Meena, laid arms saying they were fed up with the Maoist ideology. Carrying a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh, Dinesh was president of Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangthan (DAKMS), while Meena was the head of Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangthan (KAMS). She was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on her head. The duo was allegedly involved in firing at a helicopter in Pedia area in 2012.