A dreaded woman Naxal, who was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on her head, was gunned down by security forces in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, police said.

The skirmish took place in the evening in a forest near Chitalnar and Dondipadar villages under Pushpal police station limits, in which Military Platoon Commander Jyothi Muriyami was killed, state’s Deputy Inspector General (anti-naxal operations) Sundarraj P told PTI. “A team of state’s District Reserve Guard (DRG) that was out on an anti-Naxal operation, reached the forest of Chitalnar and Dondipadar, located around 500 km away from the capital Raipur when it came under heavy fire from a group of ultras that led to a gun-battle,” he said.

After the exchange of fire ended, the body of the woman Naxal cadre was recovered from the spot, the DIG said.

Muriyami was active as a commander of Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army platoon no. 31 of Maoists and was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on her head, he added.

“She was a hardcore cadre in Kanger Valley area along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border area and has been instrumental in executing several deadly incidents,” he said.

Further details are awaited as the search operation was still underway in the region, he added.