Five naxalites, including a woman, were killed in two encounters with police in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday.

Three naxalites, including a woman, belonging to Praja Prathighatana group, were killed in an encounter in a forest area near Stambampally village in Mahamutharam mandal in Karimnagar district. Two Maoists were killed in another encounter in Mahabubnagar district.

Acting on a tip-off that naxalites were extorting money from local contractors and political leaders, a special police party was rushed to the area. The police spotted the naxalites and asked them to

surrender. However, they opened fire on the police party. The latter returned the fire, killing three naxalites including a local dalam commander Ranjit.

A police party undertaking combing operations found a group of naxals moving around near Banala village in Balamur mandal in Mahbubnagar district in the early hours of Thursday. When asked to surrender, they opened fire. Police returned the fire, killing two Maoists on the spot.