An encounter took place in the Gadchiroli district of eastern Maharashtra this morning when at least four Naxalites were killed. 

The encounter ensued between C-60 commandos of the Maharashtra Police and Naxalites, resulting in the elimination of four Naxalites by the commando unit. 

The security forces reportedly recovered the bodies of the four Maoists, alongside a cache of weaponry including one AK-47 carbine, two domestically manufactured pistols, and Naxalite literature. 

The deceased Naxalites have been identified as Vargeesh, Magtu, both secretaries of different Naxal committees, and platoon members Kursang Raju and Kudimetta Venkatesh, reports quoting the police informed. Incidentally, these Maoists had a bounty of Rs 36 lakh.

The deceased Naxalites were subject to a substantial reward, amounting to Rs 36 lakh, indicative of their significance within the Naxalite network. 

Furthermore, it has been revealed that the Naxalites were crossing the Telangana border and infiltrating into Gadchiroli, possibly as part of a larger plan to disrupt the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. According to details, the search operation is still underway in the region. 

Multiple teams of C-60, a specialised combat unit of the Gadchiroli police, and the Central Reserve Police Force's Quick Action team were sent for a search in the area. 

While one of the C-60 unit teams was conducting a search on Tuesday morning in the Kolamarka mountains near Repanpalli, Naxalites fired at them indiscriminately to which the security personnel retaliated, the report quoting official said.