Four armed women Maoist cadre in uniform were killed in an encounter with the District Voluntary Force (DVF) in Dokra ghat area in Narayanpatna block of Koraput district on Sunday night.
The DVF, which was on a search operation following specific inputs of Maoist movement in the area, were fired upon by the Left-wing extremists, and a fierce gunbattle took place resulting in the death of the four women, said Koraput Superintendent of Police K V Singh.
He said one of them was identified as Ungi alias Harati of Chhattisgarh, who was carrying a reward of Rs 4 lakh on her head. The other three bodies are yet to be identified. Arms and ammunition were seized from the spot. These included INSAS rifles, SLR and 303 rifles, 170 rounds of ammunition, cash and other material, said Singh.
The Maoists were of the rank of area commander in the outfit’s Andhra-Odisha Special Zonal Committee.
While bodies of three Maoists were recovered last night, another body was recovered on Monday morning by security personnel.
The DVF and SOG jawans are on a combing operation in the area, said police sources.