The Chhattisgarh government told the Supreme Court Tuesday that it has traced four more of the 12 tribals who were missing. The apex court was moved for a probe into the alleged killings of 10 villagers by security forces in the state's Dantewada district during anti-Maoist operations.

Chhattisgarh government counsel Atul Jha told a bench of Justice B. Sudershan Reddy and Justice S.S. Nijjar that since the last hearing of the matter Feb 15, when six of the missing tribals were traced and brought before the court, the state government has traced four more of them and brought them to Delhi.

Jha sought the court's permission to bring the four before it, but the bench asked him to take them before the Delhi district judge for recording their statements.

The bench slated Thursday for recording their statements, on the request of senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, lawyer for civil rights activist Himanshu Kumar who had moved the court for bringing the missing tribals before it.

Jha told the bench that authorities have found out that the two missing tribals have crossed over to Andhra Pradesh, but are trying to trace them.

The apex court Feb 8 asked the state government to trace the missing persons and bring them before it. The court issued the order while hearing a joint petition by Himanshu Kumar and relatives of the 10 people, who were allegedly killed by the security forces.