Security forces on Monday tasted major success after they gun-down four hardcore cadres of the banned Maoist outfit in an encounter in Chaibasa of Jharkhand. The gunfight took place near the forest area of Lipunga under Gua police station limits of West Singhbhum district.
According to the preliminary information, an operation was launched following inputs of Maoists presence in the said area leading to an exchange of fire between the joint team of security forces and the Maoists in the wee hours of Monday, June 17 in which four hardcore Maoists were killed.
The deceased Maoists includes of a zonal commander of the outlawed CPI Maoist, identified as Singrai alias Manoj who was carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakhs on his head. The other Maoists killed in the action have been reportedly identified as sub-zonal commander, Kande Honhaga alias Dirshum, area commander Surya alias Devgam and a female Maoist Junga Purti alias Marla.
The joint team, which comprised of personnel from Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), and other units of security forces have also apprehended two Maoists during the operation.
Recovery of arms and ammunition have also been made from the spot while an extensive search operation in the vicinity is still underway.
The development has occurred on the heels of Jharkhand police nabbing of three Maoist cadres of the Tritiye Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), a splinter group of the proscribed CPI Maoist from inter-district border of Palamu and Chatra on Saturday.
Those arrested were identified as Manoj Ganjhu alias Irfan, Mahendra Ganjhu and Chote Bhiuyan all cadres of the TSPC. The police team had also recovered sophisticated weapons like Insas and SLR rifles from the Maoists.
It was further revealed that all the arrested cadres have cases pending against them in separate police stations of Jharkhand. The trio were arrested from Meruhaniya of Sikidag near Naridari River.
Notably, security forces in recent years have succeeded in containing the spread of the outlawed CPI Maoist and other splinter groups such as People Liberation Front of India (PLFI), and TSPC in the insurgency-hit state. This comes amidst continuous operations carried out by the security forces in regions such as Kolhan, Budha Pahada and Parasnath, range earlier considered as strongholds of Maoist.
Earlier in a separate operation carried out by the forces in Chaibasa itself, a Maoist dump was also unearthed near Rangadahatu and Tumbahka forest area on June 9.
The security team during the operation had recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition which included unearthing of 303 bore rifle, 0.22 country-made rifles, country-made double barrel rifles, cartridges and mortars.
The operation was launched by a joint team of personnel from district police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CoBRA and Jharkhand Jaguar (JJ), a unit of the Jharkhand police specialising in counter-insurgency operations.
Furthermore, in another separate operation carried out by the Quick Response Team (QRT) of Jharkhand police, a zonal commander of the TSPC was also nabbed from Jhalkapat area under the Ghagra police station limits of Gumla.
The arrested Maoist was later identified as Ravi Ganjhu alias Sambhu Ganjhu, a close aide of notorious Maoist, Chotu Khairwar. Ganjhu, a resident of Tandwa of Chatra distrct had arrived in the area for levy extortion and recce work aimed at harming the police personnel.
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