India, Aug. 27 -- Four suspected Maoists were killed on Wednesday in an eight-hour-long encounter with security forces in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, police said.

The encounter broke out in Koparshi forest near eastern Maharashtra's border with Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, after the Maoists allegedly opened fire at the security forces, people aware of the development said.

The police recovered the four bodies, along with four weapons - a self-loading rifle, a .303 rifle, and two Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifles - during a search conducted in the area, an officer said, requesting anonymity.

The security forces, comprising 19 C-60 units and two units of the Quick Action Teams from the Central paramilitary force, the ...