4 Naxals, cop killed in gunfight in Chattisgarh's Bastar region

Four Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, a senior police official said on Jan 5.

A head constable of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was also killed in the face-off, he said.

The gunfight broke out on Jan 4 evening at a forest in south Abujhmaad along the border of Narayanpur and Dantewada districts when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, the official said.

After the exchange of fire stopped late on the night of Jan 4, bodies of four Naxalites and automatic weapons, including AK-47 rifle and self loading rifle (SLR), were recovered from the spot, he said.

District Reserve Guard (DRG) head constable Sannu Karam was also killed in the gunfight, the official said.

Search operation was still underway in the area, he added.

Considered a Maoist bastion until recently, security forces have neutralized many Naxalites in Abujhmaad in the past few months.

(PTI)