Three Maoists, including a woman, were killed in an encounter with police in Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Saturday.  

Prakasam Superintendent of Police N Balasubramanyam said the encounter took place in the forest area between Somadevapally and Sangampet villages in Racherla mandal. The Maoists were apparently proceeding to attend a plenary meeting of the state committee somewhere in the dense Nallamala forest area.

The slain Maoists were identified as C Yeddappa -- Gandikota dalam (armed squad) commander, his wife Boya Swarna -- Penna Ahobilam mahila dalam (women squad) commander, and Narayana Naik -- commander of Maddileru military platoon.

The police recovered one .303 rifle, two country-made weapons and three kitbags from the spot. The Maoists had recently blasted Somadevapally railway station. 

This is the second encounter in Prakasam district in the last 24 hours. A top Maoist leader Mattam Ravi Kumar was killed in an encounter in the dense forest area of Pitchiraju thanda in Pullacheruvu mandal in the district in the wee hours of Friday. 

Three more Maoists, who were injured in the shoot-out, fled the scene. The police intensified the combing operations in the region.

The 46-year-old identified as Ravi Kumar, alias Sridhar alias Anil, was a state and central committee member of CPI-Maoist. He was among the top Maoist ideologues and was associated with the movement since 1986. He was in charge of Maoists' 'military' operations in Nallamala forest division comprising Prakasam and Guntur districts and also the propaganda wing of the banned outfit. He carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh on his head.

An engineering graduate from Tandur in Rangareddy district, Ravi Kumar was a prolific writer. A self-taught homoeopath, he treated other underground cadres. He was involved in various offences, including the blasting of a railway station in Medak in 1991.

Following Ravi Kumar's killing, CPI-Maoist state secretary Madhav, in a statement, condemned the incident. He squarely blamed Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, Director-General of Police Swaranjit Sen for continuing the encounter killings and repression in the state. He threatened that the Maoists would take revenge against them as well as Prakasam Superintendent of Police N Balasubramanyam.