At Least Eight Maoists, Including One With Rs 1 Crore Bounty, Killed In Jharkhand In CRPF-Police Joint Operation

At least eight Maoists, including a Central Committee member of CPI (Maoist) identified as Vivek — who had a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head — were killed in an early morning encounter with security forces in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district on Monday (21 April), TNIE reported.

The encounter took place in the Lugu Pahar area during a joint anti-Maoist operation by the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) of the CRPF and the Jharkhand Police. Officials noted that this is the first time a Maoist leader with such a high reward has been neutralised in a gunfight.

Acting on intelligence about Maoist movements, security forces engaged in a firefight with the insurgents around 5.30 am, after being fired upon. All eight bodies were recovered from the site.

Among the dead were Arvind Yadav, who had a Rs 25 lakh bounty, and Saheb Ram Manjhi, with a reward of Rs 10 lakh. Authorities believe the incident has delivered a major blow to Maoist activity in the Jhumra hills, a region long considered a hotbed for insurgent operations.

A search operation remains underway in nearby forested areas to locate any remaining Maoists who may have escaped.

The operation aligns with Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resolve to make India Naxal-free by March 2026.