NAGPUR, Feb. 7 -- The Gadchiroli police on Friday gunned down seven suspected Maoists, including a senior leader of the banned CPI (Maoist) -- 55-year-old Prabhakar -- during a prolonged encounter spread over three days, in the district's remote forest area. A police constable was also killed in action, while a civilian sustained bullet injuries in the operation. Prabhakar, a native of Kamareddy district in Telangana, was a senior member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the banned outfit and in-charge of its western region. He also headed the Company No.10 of the outfit and carried a reward of Rs.24 lakh on his head. Apart from him, six ultras - three men and three women - were killed. According to police sources, the encounter occurred during an intelligence-based operation launched by the C-60 unit, the district's elite anti-Naxalite force, in the forested region near Phodewada - the last village of Gadchiroli district bordering the Abujhmad area of Chhattisgarh - around 450 kilometers from Nagpur. The operation began on February 3 and continued intermittently for three days. Inspector general (IG) of police Sandip Patil said that personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its Rapid Response Team later joined the C-60 squad, intensifying the operation. Sporadic exchanges of fire with the Maoists continued since Tuesday evening, resulting in the killing of the ultras. During the encounter, C-60 jawan Deepak Chinna Madavi, 38, a resident of Mandra (Damarancha) village in Aheri taluka of Gadchiroli, sustained critical injuries. He was airlifted to Bhamragad but succumbed to his injuries during treatment. Another civilian, identified as Joga Madavi of Kishtayapalli village, suffered a bullet injury and is undergoing treatment. His condition is stated to be stable, Gadchiroli superintendent of police Neelotpal said. IG Patil said the bodies of all seven Maoists were brought to the Gadchiroli Civil Hospital for post-mortem examinations by Friday evening....