10 Maoists including top leaders killed in encounter with police in Chhattisgarh 's Bijapur

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HYDERABAD/RAIPUR: As many as 10 Maoists were on Friday killed in an encounter with police in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, a senior official of the Telangana Police said.

The encounter operation was conducted jointly by the Telangana and Chhattisgarh Police. The gunfight also left a jawan injured.

10 naxals were killed in a joint operation by Telangana Police and Chhattisgarh Police in Pujari Kanker in Bijapur district. 1 policeman injured pic.twitter.com/L69CkNcMl7

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The incident took place in the Pujari Kanker forests under Pamed police station area, around 500 km from Raipur, Bijapur SP Mohit Garg said.

A cache of weapons was recovered from the encounter site, Garg added.

"It was a joint operation by the Chhattisgarh and Telangana Police. Initial reports indicate ten Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire between them and police at around 6.30 AM in Bijapur district.

A clear picture would emerge later, the Telangana police official said.

The bodies are being shifted to a nearby hospital for post-mortem and other formalities, the official added.

The identity of killed Naxals was not immediately known, but security agencies believe some top Naxal leaders could be among those killed, officials said.

(With inputs from agencies)