Bhubaneswar, June 30 : The Odisha Police on Monday neutralised two hardcore Maoists during an exchange of fire in Puranajiaba Reserved Forest at Baliguda in Kandhamal district.

The slain Maoists were identified as Manku and Chandan, who belong to the Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division of the proscribed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) organisation.

Manku works as an Area Committee Member (ACM) in KKBN of the CPI(Maoist), while Chandan is a member of the banned outfit.

Notably, the Kandhamal district Police received an intelligence input that some Maoists were hiding in the Puaranajiaba Reserve Forest under the Baliguda Police station area.

Subsequently, following the orders of the Superintendent of Police, Harish B.C, the jawans of District Voluntary Force (DVF) launched an anti-Maoist operation in the area.

An exchange of fire began between the jawans of DVF and Maoists on Monday at around 12 PM, in which Manku and Chandan were neutralised. The jawans intensified operations in the area after seizing the bodies of the Maoists.

Y.B. Khurania, the Director General of Police of Odisha congratulated Kandhamal SP Harish B.C and the DVF team for the success.

The Odisha Police, in a press statement on Monday, declared it a major success in its operation against the Maoists.

Two dreaded CPI(Maoist) cadres, each carrying a reward of Rs 3 lakh on their heads, were arrested by the Malkangiri Police earlier on June 13.

As per reports, as many as six Maoists were killed by the security forces while the cops arrested eight other ultras in 2024 in Odisha.

Police sources revealed that 24 Maoists have surrendered in 2024. The Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during a public programme in Telangana on Sunday, reiterated the government's firm resolve to eradicate Maoism from the country by March 2026.

He appealed to the Maoists to drop their guns and join the mainstream.

/IANS