At least 23 Maoists have been killed near the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, Superintendent of Police Rahul Dev Sharma told The Hindu on Monday. Sharma said the exchange of fire took place near Jantri in Malkangiri district, Odisha. The police forces of both the states were involved in the operation.

Investigators believe the encounter eliminated a few senior leaders of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) outfit. However, the local administration is yet to confirm the identities of those killed.

The assault commander of Andhra Pradesh’s Greyhound forces was injured during the encounter, according to an India Today report. Security personnel confiscated a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including four AK 47 rifles, from the Maoists.

The encounter is believed to be one of the biggest among those carried out in the Odisha. In September 2013, thirteen Maoists were killed by the police in an encounter in Podia block in the same district.