Hazaribagh, Sep 15: At least three Naxalites, carrying a combined bounty of ₹1.35 crore, were neutralised in the Pati Piri forest of Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand, informed Superintendent of Police Anjani Anjan on Monday.
The top Maoist, Sahdev Soren (alias Parvesh), a Central Committee member, carried a reward of ₹1 crore. Two others neutralised include Raghunath Hembram, a member of the Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee with a reward of ₹25 lakh, and Birsen Ganjhu (alias Ramkhelavan), a regional committee member with a ₹10 lakh bounty. Police recovered multiple weapons, including an AK-47, from the encounter site.
The operation was launched on Sunday by the 209 CoBRA battalion and Hazaribagh police following intelligence reports indicating that the Maoist group was planning major attacks and recruiting new cadres. The encounter began under the Gorhar police station area and is currently ongoing, with security forces continuing to search for other Naxalites.
Sahdev Soren had previously been involved in a July encounter in which a security personnel lost his life. The operation comes shortly after the killing of prominent Maoist leader Aaptan (alias Amit Hansda) in Chaibasa on September 7, who had a ₹10 lakh reward and was linked to over 95 criminal cases, including murders of police officials and civilians.
Officials said the ongoing operation reflects enhanced intelligence-led counter-Maoist efforts in Jharkhand to prevent potential large-scale attacks.