Dantewada, 3 Sept

Nine Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, a senior police official said.

The gunfight broke out around 10.30 am in the forest along the border of Dantewada and Bijapur districts when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj P told PTI.

Personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were involved in the operation, which was launched based on inputs about the presence of Naxalites belonging to its west Bastar division unit, he said.

The intermittent exchange of fire lasted for a long duration, following which the bodies of nine Naxalites clad in 'uniform' were recovered from the spot, he said.

Besides, a huge cache of weapons was also seized from the encounter site, he said.

Security personnel were reported to be safe and the search operation was still underway in the area, he added.

Bastar region comprises seven districts, including Dantewada and Bijapur.

With this incident, 154 Naxalites have been gunned down by the security forces in different encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year, the police said. -PTI