Dantewada: A female Maoist, who had a bounty of Rs 25 lakh on her head, was killed during a confrontation with security forces in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh on Monday, according to an official report.
The clash began around 9 am in a forested area along the border of Dantewada and Bijapur districts while a team of security personnel was conducting an anti-Maoist operation, stated Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai.
The operation, which involved members of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), was initiated in the forests of Geedam (Dantewada) and Bhairamgarh (Bijapur), he added.
Once the gunfire ceased, authorities discovered the body of the female Maoist, identified as Renuka, also known as Chaite or Saraswati, who hailed from Warangal in the neighboring state of Telangana.
Renuka was a member of the special zonal committee of the Maoists and was responsible for the press team of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, the most powerful faction of the Maoist group, the official noted.
Additionally, an Insas rifle, along with other weapons and explosives, was recovered from the site of the encounter, the official confirmed.
With this incident, a total of 135 Maoists have been killed in various encounters across the state this year, with 119 of those fatalities occurring in the Bastar division, which includes Dantewada and Bijapur.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has stated that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the government is committed to eliminating Naxalism by March 31, 2026.
On Saturday, security forces eliminated 18 Maoists, including 11 women, in two separate encounters in the Sukma and Bijapur districts of the Bastar region.
Earlier this month, security forces also killed 30 members of the banned CPI (Maoist) in two distinct encounters in the Bijapur and Kanker districts within the Bastar region.
