Police gunned down two Maoist rebels during a search operation in Chhattisgarh state on Friday. It happened in a forest and lasted for over an hour.

There were other Maoists that managed to escape.

Authorities recovered a pistol, a dairy, a bundle of cash and several household items from the site.

The Maoists have spread into the rural pockets of 20 of India's 28 states.

Maoist attacks have become more frequent this year, especially after the federal government launched Operation Green Hunt, a coordinated security offensive to flush out the Maoists from their jungle hideouts in central and eastern Indian states.

Over 1,000 Maoist attacks were witnessed in 2009 killing more than 600 people.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says the Maoists as India's gravest internal security threat.