Hazaribagh, Sep 15: Security forces on Monday gunned down at least three Maoists, carrying cumulative rewards of Rs 1.35 crore on their heads, during a joint operation in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district.
The CRPF confirmed the identities of those killed in the operation. Sahadev Soren, a Central Committee Member, had a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head. Raghunath Hembram, a Special Area Committee Member, carried a bounty of Rs 25 lakh, while Virsen Ganjhu, a Zonal Committee Member, had a bounty of Rs 10 lakh. All three were neutralized during the encounter.
As per reports, the encounter occurred around 6 a.m. in the Panitiri jungle within the jurisdictions of Girhor police station near the Bokaro-Giridih border. After the exchange of fire, security forces recovered the bodies of Sahadev Soren and two other Maoists.
Officials said a joint team of CoBRA commandos and police from Giridih and Hazaribagh confronted the CPI (Maoist) group led by Soren during the operation.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) stated that troops from the 209 CoBRA and local police initiated an operation, during which an exchange of fire occurred between the forces and the Maoists.
The troops successfully neutralized three Maoists and recovered three AK-47 rifles.
Officials confirmed that no casualties were reported among the security personnel during the operation. A search of the area is ongoing to locate any remaining Maoist operatives.
