NEW DELHI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Indian police have arrested two hardcore left-wing Naxalite rebels wanted in the shooting in two tribals in the eastern state of Odisha, a police official said Saturday.

"The two left-wing rebels were nabbed by security forces during a combing operation in a forest near Sudhakunda area in Malkangiri district Friday," said the police official.

"While one of their tribal victims died of gunshot wounds, another survived the bid on his life. The rebels are being interrogated," he added.

Naxalites are currently active in several Indian states including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The Naxalite insurgency began in the eastern state of West Bengal in late 1960s, spreading to more than one-third of India's administrative districts.

Though major offensives by security forces in recent years have pushed the rebels back to their forest strongholds and the levels of violence have fallen, hit-and-run attacks are still common, killing hundreds of people, mostly security personnel, every year.?