Four Maoists, including commander Sahdev Mahto with a Rs 15 lakh reward, were eliminated by security forces in an encounter on the Chatra-Hazaribagh district border. This operation is seen as a significant achievement in the state’s anti-Maoist efforts. The action was based on precise intelligence inputs from the Intelligence Bureau about the presence of a Maoist squad in the area.
Following the intelligence, joint teams of local police and security forces conducted a cordon-and-search operation. The Maoists, upon being cornered, engaged in a firefight with the security forces, leading to their deaths. Security personnel retaliated after the Maoists opened fire, resulting in the elimination of four Maoists.
During a search operation post-encounter, security forces discovered two AK-47 rifles, various other weapons, Maoist literature, daily-use items, and a substantial amount of ammunition at the site. Mahto, one of the deceased Maoists, was known as the mastermind behind several significant incidents in the region.
In a separate operation, security forces have surrounded a Maoist squad in the forests of Chadaradera near Baliba village in Jharkhand’s Saranda region. The area has been cordoned off, and aerial surveillance is ongoing to locate the Maoists. Reports indicate that the squad may include Maoist Misir Besra, who has a Rs 1 crore bounty on his head, with a suspected presence of over 100 Maoists.
The search operation in the Saranda forest is still in progress, with all escape routes sealed. Chaibasa Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Renu mentioned that detailed updates on the operation are awaited. In related incidents over the past three days, six security personnel have sustained injuries in IED blasts and firing in the West Singhbhum region during anti-Maoist operations.
