Bijapur (Chhattisgarh): Seven Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire amid ongoing anti-Naxal operation along the Bijapur-Dantewada border

The joint operation was launched following intelligence about Naxal activity. This incident brings the total Naxalite deaths in Chhattisgarh this year to 268.

Twelve Maoists and three personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a specialized unit of the state police, were killed in a fierce encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Wednesday, officials said.

One of the biggest anti-Maoist offensives in recent months is unfolding in the dense forests of the West Bastar Division, along the Bijapur-Dantewada inter-district border.

Twelve Naxalites, and three personnel of the DRG, a specialised unit of the state police, were killed in a fierce encounter in Chhattisgarh.

Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Superintendent of Police (SP) Bijapur Jitendra Yadav said a joint search operation was launched in the West Bastar Division area by teams of District Reserve Guard (DRG) Dantewada-Bijapur, STF, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), during which intermittent firing began around 9:00 AM. India News | Chhattisgarh: 7 Maoists, 3 DRG Jawans Killed in Bijapur Clash.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Bastar Range Sundarraj P said that bodies of seven Maoist cadres have been recovered from the encounter site so far.