Three suspected Maoists were shot dead in Kerala on Monday by Thunderbolt -- the state's counter-insurgency force. According to sources, those who were killed include two males and one female.

However, the identity of those killed has not been ascertained yet as the bodies have not been examined so far.

They were shot by the Thunderbolt team in an interior forest in Palakkad in the early hours of Monday. The encounter, as claimed by the sources, took place in Agali forest on Ooty road.

"There was an attack on the part of the Maoists towards the Thunderbolt search team and the team retaliated. There are three causalities in it, two males and one female," a source said.

The dead bodies however have not been recovered. The source said that the shooting happened from a short distance and the Thunderbolt team didn't go near the dead bodies as it is feared that mines may be buried under the ground and also that there could be some explosives strapped to the body of the deceased. Hence, the bodies will be recovered only after a bomb disposal squad arrives at the spot.

According to reports, the Thunderbolt team conducted the search operation in the area based on a tip-off suggesting the presence of suspected Maoists in the area.

This is the second incident of its kind that has happened this year. In March, CP Jaleel, a suspected Maoist leader, was killed by the Thunderbolt.

An elite command force, Thunderbolt, was formed under the Indian Reserve Battalion in 2008. The force has been formed to carry out anti-insurgency operations and is functioning on the lines of Special Protection Group and National Security Guard.