The exchange of fire started around 5.30 am in Lugu Hills of the Lalpania area of Bokaro district. Pic/PTI.
The troops of 209 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), along with state police, conducted the operation in which eight Naxals were killed and an AK series rifle, three INSAS rifles, a self-loading rifle (SLR), eight country-made guns and a pistol were seized
Those killed include a central committee member of the extremist outfit Prayag Manjhi alias Vivek, special area committee member Arvind Yadav alias Avinash, zonal committee member Sahebram Manjhi alias Rahul Manjhi, Mahesh Manjhi alias Mota, Talu, Ranju Manjhi, Gangaram and Mahesh
Vivek carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore, while Arvind Yadav had a reward of Rs 25 lakh and Sahebram Majhi Rs 10 lakh
They were booked by the police in various cases of violence, the officials said. The central committee is the top decision-making body of the Maoist organisation. No injuries have been reported among the security personnel
Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta said, "With this encounter, Maoist squads in North Chotanagpur region have been wiped out." He added, "Maoists have nearly been wiped out across the state. They only remain in the Chaibasa region. We are going to relocate all our forces, including the CRPF, Jharkhand Jaguar and Jharkhand Armed Police, in the Saranda area. Our target is to eliminate all the Maoist squads in the region in the next 15 to 20 days, or certainly before the rainy season."
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