Gadchiroli: Two women Naxalites were killed in an encounter with police in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district on Wednesday, officials said.

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 a search, the bodies of two women Naxalites were recovered, the official said.

An automatic AK-47 rifle, a sophisticated pistol, live ammunition, a large amount of Naxal literature and their belongings were also seized, he said.

The anti-Naxal operation was continuing in the area, the police added.

Twelve Naxalites, nine of them carrying a collective bounty of Rs 18 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, a senior police official said on Wednesday.

The cadres, including five women, turned themselves in before senior police and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officials here, Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Robinson Guria said.