By IANS
Ranchi: Five Maoist rebels have been killed by police and paramilitary forces in Jharkhand’s Garwah district, police said Sunday.
A gunfight took place Saturday night between the rebels and the forces in a jungle area of Garwah, around 130 km from here. Five guerrillas, including two women rebels, were killed in the gun battle that lasted for over four hours.
“We got a tip off and raided a Maoist hideout, where around 35 rebels were camping. While five were killed, the rest managed to escape,” said a police official.
Four self-loading rifles (SLR), one AK-47 and more than 500 cartridges were recovered from the guerrillas, the official said.
Maoist rebels are active in 16 of Jharkhand’s 22 districts. Nearly 600 people, including 290 security personnel, have lost their lives in Maoist violence in the last six years.