Two women Maoists, including a senior cadre carrying a reward of Rs 16 lakh on her head, were shot dead in a gunfight with security forces in Maharashtra on Saturday afternoon, officials said.
The two have been identified as Divisional Committee member and Gatta Dalam commander Ramco alias Kamala Manku Narote, 45, the wife of another top-ranking Maoist leader Bhaskar Narote, and 28-year-old Sheila alias Manu Dasru Dhurva.
Both were wanted for a series of serious offences. Sheila had a reward of Rs 4 lakh on her head.
The gunfight broke out after a Maoist group triggered a landmine blast in the thickly forested hills near Koti village in Bhamragad sub-district this afternoon and later opened fire at security forces.
The team of the C-60 commandos were waiting below the hill while the Maoists were stationed at a vantage point above, but managed to open retaliatory fire and swooped onto the rebels’ hiding place.
They recovered bodies of Narote and Sheila from the bushes in the post-gunfight combing operations and the casualty figures among the rebels may go up. None among the security personnel were injured.
Official sources said that the Maoists had conspired to ambush and eliminate the troopers advancing towards them by triggering the blast and the subsequent firing.
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