Maoist with ₹5 lakh bounty killed in Jharkhand gunfight: DIG Palamu

A wanted 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.

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.

Two top JJMP naxals killed in Latehar

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… A burden has been lifted from the earth. Our soldiers have done a very good job,” 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.