Maoist with Rs 10 lakh bounty killed in Jharkhand encounter
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Chaibasa: A Maoist carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh was shot dead in an encounter with security forces in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa, officials said on Sunday.
The gunfight took place in the Saranda forest under Goilkera police station limits in West Singhbhum district, where security personnel killed Amit Hasda alias Aaptan, Superintendent of Police Paras Rana confirmed.
An SLR rifle, explosives and other weapons were recovered from the spot. Following the operation, security forces launched an extensive search across the forest to locate other Maoist bases.
The incident comes days after two policemen were killed and another critically injured in a fierce gun battle with Maoists of the banned Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC) in Palamu district on September 3.
That clash occurred in the dense Kedal forest under Manatu police station during a search operation launched around 1 a.m. after intelligence inputs suggested that TSPC’s zonal commander Shashikant Ganjhu, also carrying a Rs 10 lakh bounty, might visit his native village Kedal during the Karma festival.
As forces closed in, Ganjhu and his cadre allegedly opened fire, triggering a heavy exchange. Three policemen sustained injuries and were rushed to Medinirai Medical College and Hospital in Daltonganj, where doctors declared two of them dead.
The slain personnel were identified as Santan Kumar and Sunil Ram, one of whom served as the bodyguard of Palamu Additional Superintendent of Police.
Police said operations are continuing in the region to track down Ganjhu and his associates.
