India, April 12 -- At least three Maoists were shot dead on Saturday in an ongoing encounter with security forces in the Indravati Tiger Reserve area of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, police said.

The encounter took place during a joint anti-Maoist operation based on intelligence inputs about Maoist presence in the forested area, an officer said.

The exchange of fire began around 9 am and intermittent firing has continued since then, a statement issued by police read. "Security personnel have so far recovered the bodies of two Maoist cadres, along with weapons and ammunition from the encounter site," the statement further said.

The Maoists are yet to be identified, the officer added.

The search operation is underway, and further det...