15 Maoists gunned down in Bijapur encounter in Chhattisgarh

Mangalore Today /ndtv

Chhattisgarh, May 07, 2025: Intelligence reports suggest that several senior cadres have been either killed or critically injured during the operation.

Police said that the number could increase, and a search operation is underway.

“The encounter took place in the wee hours of Wednesday. According to preliminary information, 15 to 18 Maoists have been killed in the dense forests surrounding the Karregutta hills along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. A search operation is on, and more details will be provided in the next few hours,” a senior police officer, who is reviewing the operation, said.

The massive operation, described as one of the largest counter-insurgency missions in Bastar, involves around 24,000 personnel from various units, including Chhattisgarh Police’s District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite CoBRA unit.

Authorities launched the offensive following intelligence inputs about the presence of top Maoist leaders, including those from the Telangana state committee and the heavily armed ‘Battalion number 1’ — regarded as the strongest militia of the Maoists.