Two women Naxals killed in separate encounters in Madhya Pradesh

Two women Naxals, carrying a reward of Rs 14 lakh each on their heads, have been killed in separate encounters with police in a forest area in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district, officials said on Saturday.

One of the ultras was gunned down around 11 pm on Friday, while another one was killed around 7 am on Saturday, Superintendent of Police Abhishek Tiwari told reporters.

The encounters took place under Kirnapur police station area, about 50 km from the Balaghat district headquarters, bordering Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.

"The slain Naxals have been identified as Savitri Alia Ayathe (24), a resident of Gangloor in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, and Shobha Gawde (30), who hailed from Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district," Balaghat Zone Inspector General of Police (IGP) K P Venketshwar Rao told PTI.

The duo was members of the area committee of Malajkhand Dalam in Balaghat.

They have been wanted by the police in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, who have announced bounties on their heads, the officer said.

Following the encounter, the police recovered an INSAS rifle and a 12-bore gun from the spot, the IGP said.

Ayathe and Gawde were wanted in 25 and 21 cases, respectively, by the police from the three states and carried rewards to the tune of Rs 14 lakh each on their heads.

Tiwari told reporters that the police had received inputs that the Maoist leadership was pushing the rebels from Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh to Balaghat and Mandla in Madhya Pradesh in order to expand their base in the state.