According to Malkangiri SP Hrushikesh Khilari, the exchange of fire occurred during a search operation in the forest by a joint team of Special Operation Group (SOG) and District Voluntary Force (DFV). On Wednesday morning, Maoist ultras and security personnel engaged in a ferocious gun battle in a forest near Kulabedha under the Mathili police limits in the district.

The encounter is claimed to have resulted in injuries to several of the rebels, according to authorities. “The SOG and DVF of Odisha police had launched a search operation during which the Maoist cadres opened fire indiscriminately at the security forces. The jawan also retaliated in which some rebels sustained injuries,” the SP said.

The injured ultras, on the other hand, were able to run into the dense woodland, he claimed. The security forces discovered an INSAS rifle, as well as 34 rounds of bullets and magazines, during the ensuing search.
According to Malkangiri SP Hrushikesh Khilari, the exchange of fire occurred during a search operation in the forest by a joint team of Special Operation Group (SOG) and District Voluntary Force (DFV).

On Wednesday morning, Maoist ultras and security personnel engaged in a ferocious gun battle in a forest near Kulabedha under the Mathili police limits in the district. The encounter is claimed to have resulted in injuries to several of the rebels, according to authorities. The injured ultras, on the other hand, were able to run into the dense woodland, he claimed.

The security forces discovered an INSAS rifle, as well as 34 rounds of bullets and magazines, during the ensuing search. During the heavy crossfire, some others retreated into the dense woodlands. The Andhra Pradesh police stated they recovered an AK 47 rifle, several revolvers, and ammo from the scene.

In a related development, at least six Maoists are said to have been killed in an encounter with Greyhounds soldiers in a deep forest in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam district, which borders Odisha’s Malkangiri.
One of the slain Maoists has been identified as a DCM leader from Telangana, according to reports.