Balaghat : Two women Naxalites, collectively carrying a reward of Rs 28 lakh on their heads, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, a police official said. The face-off took place in Kadla forest area under Garhi police station limits in the wee hours, Superintendent of Police (SP) Sameer Saurabh said.

The deceased Naxalites were identified as Sunita, an Area Committee Member (ACM) and Commander of Bhoramdev Committee, a wing of the Maoists, and Sarita Khatia Mocha, ACM and active in Vistar Dalam, he said. Both of them were carrying a reward of Rs 14 lakh each, the official said. Guns, cartridges, some other ammunition and Naxal literature were recovered from them, he said, adding that a search operation was underway in the area