Bhubaneswar: At least four Maoists were killed during an exchange of fire with security forces in a dense forest in Odisha's Kandhamal district on Sunday, a top police officer said.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of Special Operations Group personnel and District Voluntary Force officers had launched a combing operation in the forest in Tumudibandha area of Kandhamal district early on Sunday, Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay said.
As the security personnel approached their hideout, the Maoists opened fire and a gun battle ensued, leading to the death of the four rebels, he said.
A huge cache of arms and ammunition was seized from the area, he said.
All four of them are suspected to be members of the Bansadhara-Nagavali-Ghumusar division of the banned CPI (Maoist), the DGP said, adding that a massive combing operation has been launched in the area.
