5 Maoists gunned down in Chhattisgarh

Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh): Five Maoists guerrillas were killed in a gun battle on Saturday in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, police said on Saturday.

Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena told IANS: "The gun battle between the Maoists and the police took place around 5.30 p.m. on Friday near Becha village on the broders of the Narayanpur and Bijapur."

"It was a joint operation carried out by the District Reserve Guards (DRG) and the Special Task Force (STF) of the police," Meena said, adding, "The gunbattle lasted for over two hours".

A .315 rifle and three 12 bore rifles were recovered.

"We suspect that there would be five-six more casualties on their side, as per the blood spots available in the forest area," Meena added.