Jharkhand: Two suspected Maoists killed in gunfight with security forces

Two suspected Maoists were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Latehar district of Jharkhand on Saturday, a police officer told PTI.

One of those killed was Pappu Lohra, the chief of the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad, a splinter group of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). The second person who was killed was Prabhat Ghanju, who was allegedly an associate of Lohra.

Lohra carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh, while Ghanju carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh, The Hindu reported.

A security official was also also hit by a bullet during the operation. He has been shifted to Ranchi for treatment, the newspaper added.

The gunfight took place during a joint anti-Maoist operation carried out by the Central Reserve Police Force and the Jharkhand Police in a forest area under the Latehar Police Station limits.

A search operation was launched based on information about the presence of Lohra and his associates in the forest, PTI quoted Palamu Deputy Inspector General YS Ramesh as saying.

On Friday, four suspected Maoists were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district along the Chhattisgarh border.

On Wednesday, 27 suspected Maoists – including Nambala Keshav Rao, who was the leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) – were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district.

With this,...

Read more