Top Naxal leader among 18 killed during operation in Chhattisgarh's Kanker

At least 18 Naxals, including one of their top leaders, were killed on Tuesday in a joint operation by teams of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district. The Naxal leader Shankar Rao had a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head, police said.

Superintendent of Police Kalyan Ellisela said a large cache of weapons including four AK-47 rifles were also recovered.

He added that there is a strong possibility that the number of deaths would increase.

The encounter broke out between the police and the Naxals in the Maad area.

Three soldiers were injured in the encounter and 18 bodies have been recovered, said officials.

While the encounter was underway, SP Kalyan Ellisela said additional forces were sent to rescue the injured soldiers.