In eastern Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, seven Maoists, including a top leader, were killed in encounters with police. The anti-Maoist operation had been ongoing in the area for the past three days. A police jawan also died from injuries sustained during a gunfight.

The deceased Maoist leader was identified as Prabhakar alias Loketi Chandar Rao, who hailed from Kamareddy in Telangana. Prabhakar was in charge of the Maoists' Gadchiroli Division Committee, West Sub-Zonal Bureau, and 'Company No 10'. He carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head.

The Gadchiroli police released a statement indicating that the operation was launched on the night of February 3, following intelligence inputs regarding the movement of surviving cadres of Company No. 10 and an unknown Maoist formation from Chhattisgarh. Fourteen units of the C-60, a special anti-Maoist force of the Gadchiroli police, initiated the operation near Phodewada village on the Narayanpur-Gadchiroli border.

During the operation, a C-60 commando, Deepak Chinna Madavi (38) from Aheri, was killed. He reportedly neutralized two Maoists before succumbing to a bullet injury. He was airlifted to Bhamragad Sub-District Hospital, where he later died. Another commando, Joga Madavi of Kishtyapalli, sustained injuries but is reported to be out of danger after evacuation.

Authorities confirmed that Prabhakar and six other Maoists were killed during the exchange of fire. The bodies of three Maoists were recovered on Thursday night, with an additional four bodies retrieved from the forest area on Friday. In total, the bodies of four males and three females were recovered. Police also seized three AK-47 rifles, one self-loading rifle (SLR), and one .303 rifle. The identities of the remaining Maoists are still being verified.

The C-60 unit of Gadchiroli police and a unit of QAT of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were involved in the operation. Search and combing operations continue in the Abujhmarh forests to ensure no other armed cadres remain hidden in the terrain.

Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs, informed Parliament that since 2019, security forces have arrested over 7,400 Naxalites, and 5,880 have surrendered. Government data indicates an 88% drop in violence, with annual incidents falling from 1,936 in 2010 to 234 in 2025. In the last year, 364 Naxalites were neutralized. The insurgency is now confined to isolated pockets, with only eight districts affected.