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Maoist with ₹5 lakh bounty killed in Jharkhand gunfight: DIG Palamu
The clash between the security forces and the CPI (Maoist) rebels happened in a forest area in Dauna.
A Maoist leader with a reward of ₹5 lakh on his head was shot dead in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand's Latehar district, PTI reported, quoting a senior police officer on Monday.
Another Maoist was arrested during the same operation.
The clash between the security forces and the CPI (Maoist) rebels happened in a forest area in Dauna, under the Mauhadand police station, late Sunday night.
“Manish Yadav, who was carrying a reward of ₹5 lakh on his head, was killed in the gunfight with security forces. Another Maoist, Kundan Kherwar, was arrested,” Palamu Deputy Inspector General YS Ramesh told PTI.
Two top JJMP naxals killed in Latehar
The operation came just two days after two other Maoists were killed in the district, including Pappu Lohra, the chief of the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) group, who had a bounty of ₹10 lakh.
Lohra had a ₹10 lakh bounty on his head, while the other Naxal leader, zonal commander Prabhat Ganjhu, carried a reward of ₹5 lakh. Both were shot dead during the operation, and police recovered weapons and ammunition from the area, reported news agency ANI.
According to officials, Lohra faced nearly 100 criminal cases, including the killing of a CRPF officer.
“Pappu Lohra, who has been killed today, had almost 100 cases against him, in which he also murdered a Deputy Commandant of CRPF... He has murdered many people and looted the land of many people in Latehar," Jharkhand Director General of Police Anurag Gupta told reporters on Saturday.
“Our district police team has carried out this entire operation on its own, and a top criminal whom we would not even call a Naxalite has been killed... Two Naxalites have been killed and one has been captured... Our injured soldier is now out of danger. He is very brave,” Gupta added.
CPI Maoist general secretary killed in Narayanpur
Chhattisgarh DGP Arun Dev Gautam confirmed on May 22 that Nambala Keshava Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of the CPI (Maoist), was among the 27 Maoists killed in a recent encounter in Narayanpur district, reported ANI.
Also read: The inside story of how senior Maoist leader Basavaraju was killed in Abujmad
Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) P Sundarraj revealed that Basavaraju, believed to be around 70 years old and originally from Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, played a key role in several Maoist operations across Left-Wing Extremism-affected states.
“In the last two to three years, he had been the general secretary of CPI (Maoist). In many attacks against the members of the security forces and elected representatives, he had an active role in the conspiracy and planning,“ Sundrraj added.
