Chhattisgarh encounter toll 22

Raipur: The toll of security personnel killed in an encounter with the Maoists in Chhattisgarh rose to at least 22 on Sunday, after 17 more bodies were recovered from the jungles of Bijapur district.

At least one officer was reportedly missing as rescue teams continued the search operation for the second day. However, unauthorised sources say that the number of missing persons was higher, with three personnel still unaccounted for as of Sunday.

About 30 other personnel were injured in the incident, which took place on Saturday.

The gunbattle broke out when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Maoist operation. Around 10 Naxalites were also killed in the gunfight, the sources say.

More than 2,000 personnel from at least five camps in Sukma and Bijapur had gone into the forest around Tarrem in Bijapur district.

They were trapped in an ambush while returning from the operation. Personnel belonging to the Central Reserve Police Force, its elite unit CoBRA, the District Reserve Guard and the Special Task Force were involved in the operation launched from five places – Tarrem, Usoor and Pamed in Bijapur, and Minpa and Narsapuram in Sukma.