Guwahati: At least 26 Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in a dense forest in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra on Saturday.
The incident took place around 6 am and went on till 4 pm Saturday at Korchi in Mardintola forest area of the district.
Four police personnel were also injured and have been shifted to Nagpur by a helicopter for further treatment.
The injured officials have been identified as Ravindra Naitam, Sarveshwar Atram, Maharu Kudmethe, and Tikaram Katange.
According to reports, top rebel leader was suspected to be dead among them.
However, the police officials have recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition, and Maoist literature from the encounter site.
As per the reports, the major offensive came after specific intelligence about the movement of the Maoists from Chhattisgarh to the forest of Mardintola.
Around 16 teams of C-60 commandos, with a total of 500 police personnel, participated in the operation and was one of the longest encounters in the history of Gadchirol.
However, the identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained.