New Delhi: Three Maoists linked to the banned outfit Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) were gunned down in an encounter with police and security forces Wednesday morning in Jharkhand.
The encounter took place in the dense forests of Kechki under the Bishunpur police station limits in Gumla district.
According to police officials, the three slain men have been identified as Lalu Lohra, Chhotu Oraon, and Sujeet Oraon. Both Lalu Lohra and Chhotu Oraon were sub-zonal commanders of JJMP and carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh each on their heads. The third, Sujeet Oraon, was an active cadre of the same group. Lohra was a resident of Lohardaga district, while Chhotu hailed from Latehar and Sujeet from Lohardaga.
Gumla Police confirmed the recovery of sophisticated weapons from the encounter site, including an AK-47 rifle, which was found in the possession of Lalu Lohra. Multiple other firearms and ammunition were also recovered from the trio.
A search and combing operation is currently underway in the surrounding forest areas to ensure no other insurgents are hiding nearby.
This encounter marks the fourth such anti-Maoist operation in Jharkhand this month, bringing the total number of Naxals killed in September to eight.
Earlier, September 15, three top Maoists, Sahdev Soren alias Pravesh (carrying a Rs one crore bounty), Raghunath Hembram (Rs 25 lakh), and Veer Sen Ganjhu (Rs 10 lakh), were killed in an encounter in Gorhar, Hazaribagh district.
On September 14, a Maoist with a Rs 5 lakh bounty, Mukhdev Yadav, was neutralised in Palamu’s Manatu forest during a clash with the banned TSPC (Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee). On September 7, security forces killed Rs 10 lakh bounty Maoist Amit Hansda alias Upton in Goilkera, West Singhbhum district.
According to Jharkhand Police, 32 Maoists have been killed in operations so far in 2025. On average, three Naxals are killed in police encounters every month. An estimated 100 to 150 Maoists remain active in the state.
Police records also reveal a list of 13 top Maoists on the most-wanted list, including Misir Besra, Patiram Manjhi, and Aseem Mandal, each carrying bounties of Rs one crore. Other key names on the list include Anmol, Mochhu, Ajay Mahato, Agen Angaria, Ashwin, Pintu Lohra, Chandan Lohra, Jaykant, and Rapa Munda.
The biggest anti-Naxal encounter of the year occurred on April 21, when eight Maoists, including Rs one crore bounty leader Prayag Manjhi alias Vivek, were killed in Luggu Pahad, Bokaro district.
Jharkhand Police, in coordination with central paramilitary forces, are executing a long-term anti-Naxal campaign with the goal of making the state completely Naxal-free by March 2026.
IANS
