Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 18 (HBTV): At least 22 Naxals have been killed in an ongoing encounter near the Keregutta Hills in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, police said on Wednesday. The operation is being conducted under Mission Sankalp and is taking place along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai confirmed the fatalities, stating that a large-scale anti-Naxal operation had been ongoing in the region for several days.

'For many days, anti-Naxal operations have been going on near Keregutta Hills on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. Till now, more than 22 bodies of Naxals have been found there,' he said.

Meanwhile, a female Naxalite was killed and a .303 rifle was recovered during an encounter with security forces in the forested border area of Bijapur district on Tuesday.

The gunfight occurred on May 5 in the dense jungles along Bijapur's southwestern border. Following the exchange of fire, security personnel recovered the body of a uniformed woman Maoist and a .303 rifle from the site, officials confirmed.

Based on evidence recovered from the location, authorities suspect that several other Naxalites were either killed or injured during the operation, according to an official statement.

Earlier, on April 28, 24 Naxalites, including 14 carrying a combined 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, a total of 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 the surrendered Naxalites who joined the mainstream were given a cheque of INR 50,000 each as an incentive.

(ANI)