Woman Maoist With Rs 5 lakh Bounty Killed in Encounter
– Kanker: A Maoist woman carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh was killed during an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on Monday, police said. They said the deceased, identified as Rupee, was a member of the district committee of the Maoists and was believed to be the last senior Telugu cadre active in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, comprising seven districts including Kanker.
The encounter took place 12 days after the government declared Chhattisgarh free of armed Maoists on March 31.
Inspector General of Police Bastar Range Sundarraj P said the government has constantly appealed to Maoists to surrender and avail rehabilitation benefits, which has led to a significant number of people opting to return to the mainstream in recent months. However, he stated that some cadres, including Rupi, continued on the path of violence and this ultimately led to such consequences.
Kanker Superintendent of Police Nikhil Rakhecha said that the gunfight started in the morning in a forest near Machpalli village bordering Chhotebethiya-Partapur police station areas, when a team of security personnel went on an anti-Naxalite operation based on certain intelligence inputs regarding the presence of cadres. The official stated that Rupi’s body was removed from the scene along with the gun, explosives and other materials after the guns fell silent, and added that search efforts continue in the area.
According to police, Rupi was the wife of Dandakaranya Special Area Committee member Vijay Reddy, who was killed in an encounter in Manpur-Mohla-Ambaragrh Chowki area last year.
IG Sundarraj P appealed to the remaining Maoist cadres to abandon violence and rejoin the mainstream, stating that they have limited time to choose a peaceful and honorable life. With the latest action, at least 28 Maoists have been killed in separate clashes in Chhattisgarh this year. Last year, security forces killed 285 Maoists in clashes across the state. The Center had fixed March 31, 2026 as the deadline for eliminating Left Extremism from the country.
