India, Sept. 18 -- Two women Naxalites were killed in an encounter with police in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district on Wednesday. A credible input was received in the morning that a few members of Gatta LOS (local organisation squad) of Maoists were camping in a forest adjoining Modaske village in Etapalli taluka, a senior police official said.

An operation was immediately launched from Aheri by the police, along with five units of C-60, a specialised anti-Naxal commando squad of the Gadchiroli police, he said. The CRPF assisted the operations team in laying the outer cordon.

When the C-60 contingent was searching the forest area, they were fired indiscriminately by Maoists, to which the police retaliated, the official said. Later, during...