On October 4, As many as 31 CPI-Maoist terrorists were killed in an encounter between the Maoists and Security Forces comprising personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard and Special Task Force in the forested terrain near Nendur-Thulthuli in the south Abujhmadh area under Orchha Police Station limits in Narayanpur District in the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh. Following intelligence reports of a large Maoist presence, a combing operation was launched in the villages of Govel, Nendur, and Thulthuli under Orchha and Barsur Police Stations. The slain Maoists include ‘Divisional Committee Member’ Niti and ‘DVCM’ Kamlesh, on whom the state government had kept a bounty of INR 800,000 each. The identity of the rest of the slain Maoists is yet to be ascertained. Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, stated that the bodies were found in the dense forest where the encounter occurred. While the identities of the Naxalites have not yet been confirmed, preliminary investigations suggest they may belong to the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army, Company No 6, Platoon 16, of the Maoist faction operating in the eastern Bastar division. A huge cache of weapons, including an AK-47 rifle and one Self-Loading Rifle, has been recovered from the encounter site.
