Four Naxalites, including a top leader of the Praja Pratighatana group, were killed in an encounter with the police in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday morning.

Khammam Superintendent of Police Bhavna Saxena said the encounter took place around 1000 IST near a hillock in Garla Bayyaram mandal on the Khammam-Warangal district border.

Praja Pratighatana is one of the splinter groups of Naxalites in the state. It is active mainly in north Telangana districts, particularly Warangal, Karimnagar and Khammam. 

A police party from Kamballapally in Warangal district, acting on a tip-off, spotted the Naxalites holding a meeting at the hillock. On seeing the police, the Naxalites opened fire, forcing the latter to retaliate in self-defence.

When the exchange of fire ended, the police found the bodies of four Naxalites, including Praja Pratighatana state secretary and Khammam district committee secretary Venu. The police recovered four weapons and 10 kitbags, besides incriminating literature, from the spot, Saxena said.

She said that Venu and the other dead dalam members were involved in 19 cases, including a murder, 13 cases of extortion and several exchanges of fire with the police in the last six months.