Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 17 (HBTV): More than 15 Naxals were killed in an ongoing encounter near the Keregutta Hills in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, police reported on Wednesday.

The encounter is part of ‘Mission Sankalp’ and is taking place along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, a police official said.

On Tuesday, a woman Naxalite was killed and a .303 rifle was recovered in a separate gunfight with security forces in the forested border region of Bijapur. The exchange of fire occurred on May 5 in the dense jungles of Bijapur's southwestern area. Following the operation, security personnel recovered the body of a uniformed woman Maoist along with the firearm, officials confirmed.

Traces found at the site indicate a strong possibility that several other Naxalites were killed or injured during the encounter, according to an official statement.

So far, four bodies of Naxalites have been recovered since the start of the ongoing operation — three on April 24 and one on May 5. The anti-Naxal operation continues with security forces maintaining pressure on the Naxal network in the border region.

Earlier, on April 28, a total of 24 Naxalites, including 14 carrying a cumulative reward of INR 28.50 lakh, surrendered before the police.

‘Fourteen Naxalites with a total reward of INR 28.50 lakh surrendered, and a total of 24 Naxalites surrendered in Bijapur,’ said Bijapur Additional Superintendent of Police Chandrakant Governa.

‘Since January 1, 2025, 213 Naxalites involved in various incidents have been arrested, 203 have surrendered, and 90 have been killed in different encounters in the district,’ he added.

All those who surrendered and joined the mainstream were given a cheque of INR 50,000 each as an incentive.

(ANI)