Raipur, Nov 22 (PTI) A Naxalite carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head was found dead under mysterious circumstances with a firearm next to him in a forest of Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Tuesday, police said.

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The body of Deva alias Tirri Madkami was found in Jiakorta forest near Bhusaras valley under Kuakonda police station, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

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Madkami was wanted in nine Naxalite-related incidents and carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head, he said.

A weapon, a bag and water bottle were recovered near the body, the official said.

Madkami was a member of Katekalyan Area Committee of (Maoist), which has been instrumental in executing several major attacks. However, the organisation has been witnessing infighting and recruitment crises since several months, the IG said.

The police had received information in the morning that a body of an unknown person was lying in Jiakorta forest along the border of Dantewada-Sukma district, around 400 km away from capital Raipur, he said.

A joint team of the CRPF's 230th battalion and police reached the spot, and the deceased as later identified as Madkami, he said.

The exact cause of death will be known once the post-mortem report arrives. Prima facie, the police suspect that infighting within the Naxalite group or anti-people activities of Madkami may have resulted in his death, the official said.

The police were probing all possible angles, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)