Sunday, March 26 2006 14:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Raipur: Five Naxalites and a Special Police Officer were killed and several villagers injured today in a gunbattle between the Maoists and police in Bijapur district of Chattisgarh.

The naxalites raided the Telipenta village under the hyper-sensitive Kutur police station area and killed an SPO and seriously injured several villagers, including a former sarpanch, besides setting on fire a couple of houses and looting many others, Bijapur police sources told sources by phone.

On information, when a joint police party was proceeding towards the village, they were confronted by armed naxalites near Karkeli, about 50km from the state capital, sources said adding, the police party and the Maoists were locked in a fierce gunbattle, in which five naxalites were killed.

From the encounter site, eight loaded rifles were seized, besides many other material of the naxalites, the sources said adding, search operation in that area are continuing.