Bhubaneswar: A Maoist was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in Kandhamal district’s Budanai Reserve Forest area under Baliguda police limits, early this morning.

Acting on intelligence input, two Special Operations Group (SOG) teams launched an operation on October 23 to locate Maoist movements in the region.

The encounter occurred at around 9 am, as SOG forces engaged with the Maoists in an exchange of gunfire. During a subsequent search of the area, the security forces recovered the body of a male Maoist dressed in uniform, along with an AK-47 rifle.

Preliminary investigations indicate the deceased was a senior member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) operating within the Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division.

Following the encounter, security forces continued searching the area for further threats or materials.

Odisha Director General of Police congratulated Kandhamal Police, the Intelligence Directorate, and the Operational Headquarters for their efforts in the ongoing anti-Maoist campaign across the state.