Bihar: Maoist zonal commander with ₹50,000 bounty killed in Begusarai encounter

An INSAS rifle, a carbine, a 7.65 bore pistol and 27 live cartridges of different calibres were recovered from the spot.

A Maoist zonal commander carrying a reward of ₹50,000 was killed in an encounter with the Bihar Special Task Force (STF) and Begusarai police late on Wednesday, officials said.

Representational image.

Additional director general (operations) Kundan Krishnan confirmed the incident and said an INSAS rifle, a carbine, a 7.65 bore pistol and 27 live cartridges of different calibres were recovered from the spot.

“More than 16 cases of murder, offences under the Explosives Act and the Arms Act have been registered against Dayanand in Begusarai, Khagaria and Muzaffarpur districts,” Krishnan said.

The encounter took place in Nonpur village under the Teghra police station limits of Begusarai district. According to police sources, the Maoist, identified as Dayanand Malakar (45), was wanted in several criminal and Arms Act cases. The STF had received specific intelligence that zonal commander Dayanand Malakar alias Chhotu was present in his native village Nonpur.

Malakar, also known by multiple aliases — Chhotu, Daman, Kulvir, Akash, Sanesh and Yogendra — was said to be the Madhya Zonal commander of North Bihar.

Begusarai superintendent of police Manish said the STF had received information that Dayanand Malakar, along with his associates, was present in the village and was planning to carry out a major crime. Based on the input, STF and Begusarai police teams jointly reached the spot, cordoned off the area and attempted to arrest him.

Police said that upon realising he was surrounded, the Maoist opened fire. The security forces retaliated, leading to an exchange of more than two dozen rounds from both sides. Dayanand Malakar was killed on the spot during the gunfight, while one of his associates was apprehended from the area.

The Begusarai SP reached the encounter site along with a forensic science laboratory (FSL) team and supervised the operation.

This was the second Maoist encounter in Bihar in 2025. Earlier, a Maoist carrying a reward of ₹1 lakh, identified as Ramesh Tuddu alias Tutua of Banka district, was killed. A carbine with a silencer, a magazine and live cartridges were recovered from Tuddu’s possession.

Earlier on Sunday, three senior Maoist leaders, two of whom carried rewards of ₹3 lakh each, surrendered before Bihar Director General of Police Vinay Kumar in Munger district. Two self-styled zonal commanders, Narayan Kora and Bahadur Kora, each carrying a bounty of ₹3 lakh, were among those who surrendered. The three Maoists handed over two INSAS rifles, self-loading rifles (SLRs), around 500 rounds of ammunition and 10 walkie-talkies to the police.

According to Krishnan, the wanted Maoist had been active in north Bihar since 1999. He was involved in the murder of Shivji Mahto at Bakhri in 2003 and was also accused in a 2006 rail track damage case registered with the Barauni GRP in Begusarai. Police said he was currently involved in collecting levy from brick kiln owners and construction firms engaged in road and bridge projects.