A member of the banned CPI (Maoist), who had a bounty of Rs 5 lakh on his head, was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand’s Latehar district on Monday, a senior police official confirmed.
Another Maoist, identified as Kundan Kherwar, was arrested during the same operation, the official added. The encounter between security forces and the Maoists took place on Sunday night in a forest near Dauna, falling under the Mauhadand Police Station limits.
“Manish Yadav, who had a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, was killed in the exchange of fire with the security forces. Another Maoist, Kundan Kherwar, was arrested,” Palamu DIG YS Ramesh told PTI.
Kherwar is said to be carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head, although DIG Ramesh noted that the reward on him is yet to be officially verified.
Follows earlier operation killing two maoists
This operation came just two days after two other Maoists, including the chief of a Maoist splinter group, were gunned down by security forces in a separate anti-Naxal operation in the same district.
On May 24, Pappu Lohra, the supremo of the banned Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP), and his associate Prabhat Ganjhu, a sub-zonal commander of the outfit, were killed during the encounter. Lohra had a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head, while Ganjhu carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh.
Joint operation by CRPF and Jharkhand Police
The operation was a joint effort by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Jharkhand Police, conducted in the Ichabar forest area under the Latehar Police Station limits.
According to DIG Ramesh, Lohra was wanted in as many as 98 cases, including murder, extortion, and arson, spanning several districts such as Lohardaga, Gumla, Chatra, Palamu, and Latehar.
His associate, Prabhat Ganjhu, was wanted in 15 cases. Both were allegedly involved in the killing of Jharkhand Jaguar deputy commandant Rajesh Kumar during an operation in September 2021.
