Suspected Maoist killed in police firing in Kerala

Kerela: A suspected Maoist was killed in an alleged encounter between the Kerala police and a gang of Left extremists in the district early on Tuesday, police said. The firing between the Thunderbolt, an elite commando force of state police specialised in combating extremists, and the suspected ultras took place in the nearby Banasura forest area under Padinjarethara police station limits.

There are news reports saying thegun fight between the Thunderbolt and Maoists is still continuing. "We areyet to receive the details of the encounter. However, there is one casualty. The police team including the SP are on their way to the location," a senior police source told PTI. However, Padinarethara police said they are yet to receive any details regarding the encounter.

Vellamunda police officials said they were on their way to the location and details were yet to be known. On October 30 last year, four Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire in the forest area of Palakkad district.

A suspected Maoist leader C P Jaleel was killed early in March last year in an exchange of fire with police personnel at a resort in Wayanad