Raipur, Mar 31: Renuka, also known as Banu, Chaitey, and Saraswati, a prominent member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, an entity of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), was killed in an encounter on Monday in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.

Her body was recovered in the morning but was later identified by security forces.

Renuka, a resident of Kadvendi in the Warangal district and the press team in charge of the Dandakaranya Special Zone, carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh on her head.

Security forces recovered an INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifle, ammunition, and other weapons from the encounter site.

The operation was started on Monday by a team from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) in the areas under Geedam police station in Dantewada district and Bhairamgarh police station in Bijapur of Chhattisgarh. The operation extended to border villages such as Nelgoda, Akeli, and Belnar.

According to police officials, firing between Maoists and security forces began at 9 a.m. and was continuing at the time of filing of this report.

During the operation, the body of a female Maoist, along with weapons, ammunition, and daily-use items, was recovered in the morning. Later, she was identified as Renuka. The encounter and search operations in the area are going on.

In two separate encounters on Saturday, at least 18 suspected Maoists were killed, and four security personnel sustained injuries in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Bijapur districts. According to the Inspector General (IG), three injured personnel were from DRG Sukma, and one was from the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force). All injured personnel are reported to be in stable condition.

In Bijapur, a Maoist was killed during an encounter in the Narsapur jungles on Saturday evening. Security forces recovered the body and weapons, though the identity of the deceased Maoist is yet to be confirmed. In Sukma, an encounter occurred on Saturday morning following intelligence reports of Maoist presence in the Gogunda, Nendum, and Upampalli areas under the Kerlapal police station. A joint team of DRG Sukma and CRPF was dispatched on Friday for an anti-Maoist operation, which culminated in the Saturday morning exchange of fire.

Officials reported that since January, a total of 119 bodies of Maosits have been recovered in various encounters across the Bastar Range, the officials said.

(IANS)

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