The Kerala Police said they had killed a suspected Maoist, CP Jaleel, in an encounter in Wayanad on Thursday. Inspector General of Police Balramkumar Upadhyay said they were searching for his associates.

The police said they received a tip about the group’s presence at a resort in Vythiri, where they had allegedly gone to extort money and collect food. “When they saw the police, who arrived at the spot after being tipped off by the resort owners, Jaleel and his accomplices started firing indiscriminately,” Upadhyay said.

The operation was conducted by the Kerala Thunderbolts, which is an elite commando force of the Kerala Police.

His body will be taken to the Kozhikode Medical Hospital for a postmortem examination.

Jaleed was a 40-year-old from Malappuram district, The News Minute reported. He was the brother of Maoist leader CP Ismail, who was arrested recently. An unidentified official from the Vythiri police station told the news website that the other suspected Maoists were from the forests of Wayanad.