The gun battle took place inside a forest area near Papluru village in the Kalimela late on Sunday.

A combing operation by a joint team of Odisha Police and the Special Operation Group (SOG) personnel led to the encounter in which the five Maoists, including a woman was killed, Additional Director General (Operation) R.P. Koche said.

Multiple weapons, including two INSAS rifles, a hand grenade and one SLR, were also recovered as the combing operation continued, he said.

"We have deployed additional Border Security Forces and SOG personnel to keep a strict vigil and track down all the Maoists hiding in Papluru," he added.

"I think, this is by far the best operation of the Odisha Police against the left-wing extremists. While a huge cache of arms and ammunition have been recovered, a search operation is still on to track down the Maoists," Director General of Police (DGP) R.P. Sharma said.