NEW DELHI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- As many as 27 left-wing Naxalite rebels have been arrested in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh in the past 48 hours, police said Saturday.

"Some 20 Naxalites were arrested in Bastar district Thursday, while seven others were nabbed by security forces in Sukma district," a police official said.

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

The Naxalite insurgency began in the eastern state of West Bengal in late 1960s. 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.