<p>Sources quoting West Midnapore district Magistrate N S Nigam said that one of the Naxalites injured during the gunbattle was nabbed by the security forces and admitted to Midnapore Medical College and Hospital. <br /><br />The bodies of the eight ultras were also brought to the hospital for post-mortem. A large cache of arms and ammunition has been seized.<br /><br />However, unconfirmed reports say around a dozen Maoists were killed in the encounter and some of the bodies were taken away by their colleagues as they fled to safer areas inside the thick forest.<br /><br />Many of those killed were teenagers. There was no report of any casualty or injury on the security forces’ side, Nigam added.<br /><br />Flush-out operation<br /><br />Acting on a tip-off that armed rebels had set up base in the forest, central paramilitary troopers and the state police launched a raid in the jungles on Tuesday. Soon, the joint forces engaged in a bitter gunfight as part of a massive flush-out operation of Maoist ultras from their hideouts in the jungles bordering West Bengal and Jharkhand, have so far recovered one AK-47 rifle, one 9mm pistol, one SLR, three guns and more than one hundred detonators from the possession of the slain ultras. <br /><br />All these arms and ammunition were believed to have been looted from police custody, Nigam added.<br /><br />The gang of Maoists had already retreated from the Ranja forest and are believed to be heading towards the neighbouring Arabari jungle. They had also exploded four landmines while retreating from the spot. Forces, divided in batches, have been in hot pursuit of the ultras, sources said.<br /><br />The injured Maoist reportedly told the security forces that their “Eastern Sector Action Squad” leader Bikash fled leaving his companions when he found that the extremists were being overpowered.<br /><br />Meanwhile, massive combing operation was on in the Ranja forest and its vicinity.<br /></p>
<p>Sources quoting West Midnapore district Magistrate N S Nigam said that one of the Naxalites injured during the gunbattle was nabbed by the security forces and admitted to Midnapore Medical College and Hospital. <br /><br />The bodies of the eight ultras were also brought to the hospital for post-mortem. A large cache of arms and ammunition has been seized.<br /><br />However, unconfirmed reports say around a dozen Maoists were killed in the encounter and some of the bodies were taken away by their colleagues as they fled to safer areas inside the thick forest.<br /><br />Many of those killed were teenagers. There was no report of any casualty or injury on the security forces’ side, Nigam added.<br /><br />Flush-out operation<br /><br />Acting on a tip-off that armed rebels had set up base in the forest, central paramilitary troopers and the state police launched a raid in the jungles on Tuesday. Soon, the joint forces engaged in a bitter gunfight as part of a massive flush-out operation of Maoist ultras from their hideouts in the jungles bordering West Bengal and Jharkhand, have so far recovered one AK-47 rifle, one 9mm pistol, one SLR, three guns and more than one hundred detonators from the possession of the slain ultras. <br /><br />All these arms and ammunition were believed to have been looted from police custody, Nigam added.<br /><br />The gang of Maoists had already retreated from the Ranja forest and are believed to be heading towards the neighbouring Arabari jungle. They had also exploded four landmines while retreating from the spot. Forces, divided in batches, have been in hot pursuit of the ultras, sources said.<br /><br />The injured Maoist reportedly told the security forces that their “Eastern Sector Action Squad” leader Bikash fled leaving his companions when he found that the extremists were being overpowered.<br /><br />Meanwhile, massive combing operation was on in the Ranja forest and its vicinity.<br /></p>
