Overview

• The slain leaders were identified as Raju Dada (Katta Ramachandra Reddy), 63, and Kosa Dada (Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy), 67, each carrying a Rs 40 lakh reward.
• The encounter occurred Monday morning in the Abujhmad forests of Narayanpur near the Maharashtra border during a search based on specific intelligence inputs.
• Security forces recovered an AK-47, an INSAS rifle, a barrel grenade launcher, a large quantity of explosives and Maoist literature from the site.
• Police reported no injuries to security personnel as intermittent firing continued before the Maoists retreated, leaving the two bodies.
• Officials said the operation is a major setback to Maoist leadership, with the state’s tally of Naxal cadres killed this year rising to about 249.