At least three CRPF personnel, including two commandos of its elite jungle warfare unit CoBRA, were killed and 14 others injured in an encounter with Naxalites along the border of Sukma and Bijapur districts of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, police said.
Among the three slain personnel, two belonged to the CoBRA's 201st battalion and one to the CRPF's 150th battalion, a senior police officer said.
The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) is the elite jungle warfare unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
The exchange of fire occurred near the Tekalgudem village when a joint team of security personnel was out on a search operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P said.
On Monday, a new camp of security personnel was set up in Tekalgudem, a Maoist stronghold along the inter-district border, around 450 km away from the capital Raipur, he said.
After setting up the camp, the personnel of the Special Task Force, District Reserve Guard and CoBRA, were carrying out a search in nearby Jonaguda-Aliguda villages when Naxals opened fire, he said, adding the forces retaliated.
Realising that the security personnel were zeroing in on them, Naxalites fled the spot, he said.
"Three personnel were martyred and 14 others injured in the incident. Of the deceased personnel, two belonged to CoBRA's 201st battalion and one from CRPF's 150th battalion," Sundarraj said.
He said the injured jawans were being shifted to a hospital.
As many as 23 security personnel were killed in an encounter with Naxalites in the same Tekalgudem forest in April 2021.