Raipur: A Maoist was on Wednesday gunned down in an encounter with security forces in a forest in Bijapur district under south Bastar of Chhattisgarh.

In another development, nine Naxals carrying a combined bounty of Rs 24 lakh surrendered in Bijapur on Wednesday.

According to the police, acting on specific intelligence inputs on the presence of some armed rebels in a forest in Gangaloor area in western Bijapur district, a joint search operation comprising personnel of district reserve guard (DRG) and special task force (STF) was launched in the area.

An encounter ensued between them in the afternoon and the exchange of fire between them continued intermittently till the last reports came, police said.

“Body of a Maoist has so far been recovered. Search operation is still underway”, Bastar range inspector general of police P Sunderraj told this newspaper.

Some weapons were also recovered.

“Details on the anti-Naxal operation could be known after the jawans returned to their camps”, police said.

In another development, nine Naxals carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 24 lakh surrendered in Bijapur on Wednesday.

One of them, Bakso Ayam, who was a member of the company number one of Naxals, carried a reward of Rs eight lakh on his head.

Two other surrendered Maoists, Budharama Pottam, who was in the rank of area committee member (ACM), and Hiria, also an ACM, carried a bounty of Rs five lakh each.