India, April 24 -- A joint team of security forces have gunned down three Maoists in an ongoing encounter on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border in the wee hours of Thursday, officials said.

Around 7,000 police personnel of three states - Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Maharashtra - have cordoned off the area as the encounter is still underway with ultras affiliated to CPI (Maoist)'s Battalion Number 1, Telangana State Committee, and the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee.

The gunfight broke out during a joint combing operation carried out by elite security units in a densely forested area near the inter-state border.

"According to initial reports, at least three Maoists have been confirmed dead, and their bodies have been recovered from ...