Malkangiri: Two Maoists, including a woman, were shot down in an encounter between the Chattisgarh’s security forces and the red rebels on Sunday.
Notably, a 1000-year-old Idol of Lord Ganesha placed atop a thickly forested Dholkal mountain in Dantewada went missing few days ago.
With information about the missing idol spreading like wildfire, pictures of the spot went viral on the social media amid speculation that the 10th century idol was stolen.
Later, a group of people launched a search and finally found pieces of the historic idol scattered at the foothill. A team lead by Dantewada superintendent of police Kamlochan Kashyap along with collector Saurabh Kumar and others also rushed to the spot to inspect the area.
Allegedly, it was damaged by the Maoists, and the security forces stepped up patrolling the jungles adjacent to the mountain to trace the miscreants, according to the IG, S R P Kalluri, (Bastar Range).
When a team of DRG was advancing through forest of Purangel, they came under heavy fire from a group of armed ultras, leading to a gun-battle between both sides, he said.
The DRG personnel later recovered the bodies of two ultras, including a woman, from the spot. Besides, a .303 rifle, a 315 bore country-made revolver and a huge cache of medicines were recovered from the place, Kalluri added.
