Bastar (Chhattisgarh) [India], January 19 (ANI): Six Naxals were killed in an encounter in Bijapur district under Bastar range, officials said.

Police officials said that following an encounter on January 17-18, the bodies of six Naxals were recovered. Two AK-47 rifles, one INSAS rifle, two .303 rifles and a BGL launcher were seized. The total reward for these Naxals was Rs 27 lakh.

Also Read | Delhi To Adopt 112 As Single Emergency Helpline To Ensure Rapid Assistance for Citizens, Says CM Rekha Gupta.

IG Bastar Range, P Sundarraj said, "On January 17-18, following an encounter in Bastar range, bodies of six naxals were retrieved. Two AK-47s, one INSAS rifle, two .303 rifles and a BGL launcher were recovered. There was a total award of Rs 27 lakhs on the arrest of these Naxals. Search and cordon operation is underway."

On January 18, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma announced that security forces had killed four Naxals, including senior cadre Dilip Bedja, in an operation in Bijapur district, marking a significant blow to the Maoist presence in the National Park area.

Also Read | Who Is Exempted From Toll Tax in India? NHAI Shares List of VIPs, Officials and Vehicles.

Speaking to ANI, Dy CM Sharma said, "Four Naxals have been killed, one of whom is a big name, Dilip Bedja, who had been active in the National Park area for a long time. Many efforts were made to bring him into the mainstream, but ultimately, the security forces took him down. Now the National Park area is also almost free from Naxals."

On Saturday, security forces in Chhattisgarh recovered the bodies of two Maoist cadres along with automatic weapons from the encounter site in the northwestern region of the state from Bijapur, officials confirmed.

Bijapur Superintendent of Police (SP) Jitendra Yadav said that a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG), COBRA and the Special Task Force (STF) carried out a search operation in the northwestern region after receiving intelligence inputs regarding the presence of the Maoist National Park Area Committee's Divisional Committee Member (DVCM) Dilip Bedja and other armed Maoists in forest and hilly areas. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)