DRG kills wanted Maoist in Chhattisgarh, arms and explosives recovered

A senior Maoist functionary carrying a bounty of ₹5 lakh was killed in an encounter with security forces in the forested and hilly terrain of Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Friday, officials said, marking another significant blow to Left Wing Extremism in the Bastar region.

The exchange of fire took place in the Adavada–Kotmeta forest area under the Bhairamgarh police station limits after the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bijapur, launched a search operation based on specific intelligence inputs about Maoist presence in the region. Firing between the two sides began around 6 am and continued intermittently, officials said.

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Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav confirmed that one Maoist was killed during the operation, and arms and other materials were recovered from the encounter site. “During the search operation, the body of a Maoist was recovered along with weapons and other Maoist materials. Search operations in the surrounding area are continuing,” he said.

Police identified the deceased as Fagnu Madvi, aged around 35 years, a resident of Gorna village under Bijapur police station limits. According to officials, he was an Area Committee Member (ACM) from Bhairamgarh and was actively involved in Maoist activities in the region. A reward of ₹5 lakh had been announced for his arrest.

Items recovered from the spot include a .303 rifle with one magazine and three rounds, a 9 mm pistol with one magazine and nine rounds, explosive materials, two scanner sets, a radio set, a medical kit, cardex wire, a Maoist backpack, a pistol pouch, and Maoist pamphlets.

Bastar Range Inspector General of Police Sundarraj Pattalingam said sustained and coordinated action by security forces had weakened Maoist activities in the region. He appealed to active Maoist cadres to give up violence and avail themselves of the government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy.