- KR Bharat
- 2025-12-25
Kandhamal (Odisha), December 25, 2025: Three Maoists, including a woman cadre, were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, police said on Thursday.
The encounter took place on Wednesday night in the Gumma forest area under the Belghar police station limits. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a mobile team of the Special Operation Group (SOG) of Odisha Police launched a combing operation in the forest when they came under fire from Maoists.
The two male Maoists were identified as Bari alias Rakesh, an area committee member of CPI (Maoist), and Amrit, a dalam member. Both hailed from Chhattisgarh and carried a combined bounty of ₹23.65 lakh, the officer added.
The body of a woman Maoist cadre was recovered on Thursday morning from a location close to the encounter site. Her identity is yet to be ascertained.
Security forces recovered a revolver, a .303 rifle, and a walkie-talkie set from the scene of the gunfight. There were no casualties among the security personnel, police confirmed.
Following the encounter, combing operations have been intensified in the area to ensure there are no remaining Maoist elements in the forest region.
The gun battle occurred a day after 22 Maoists surrendered before Odisha Director General of Police Y.B. Khurania in the neighbouring Malkangiri district, highlighting continued anti-Maoist operations in the state.
