Three women Naxals, collectively carrying Rs 15 lakh reward on their heads, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Sunday, a police official said. The gunfight took place at around 6 pm in a forest between Adwal and Kunjeras villages under Katekalyan police station limits when a team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on a search operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava told PTI. After the skirmish, bodies of three women cadres were recovered from the spot, he added.

The deceased were identified as Raje Muchaki, Geeta Markam and Jyoti alias Bhime Nuppo, who were active as members of Katekalyan Area Committee of Maoists, Pallava said, adding that they were carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh each on their heads.

One 12 bore gun, two country-made revolvers, one muzzle-loading gun, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs), wires, medicines, Maoist literature and items of daily use were also recovered from the encounter site, he said. Further details are awaited.