THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Chatra, April 17: Four Naxals, including a senior Maoist leader carrying a reward of ₹15 lakh, were killed in a fierce encounter along the Chatra-Hazaribagh border in Jharkhand. The gunfight took place in the Batuka area, falling under the Piparwar police station limits in Chatra and the Keredari police station limits in Hazaribagh.
The operation was carried out jointly by Jharkhand Police from Chatra and Hazaribagh districts along with personnel of the COBRA Battalion. Following the encounter, security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.
Weapons cache recovered, identities yet to be fully confirmed
Security forces recovered the bodies of four Naxals from the encounter site. Among those killed is Sahdev Soren, a CPI (Maoist) sub-zonal commander with a bounty of ₹15 lakh on his head.
A large cache of arms and ammunition was also seized, including two AK-47 rifles, one American-made rifle, and several other sophisticated and country-made weapons. Naxal literature, daily-use items, and a significant quantity of ammunition were also recovered.
ALSO READ: Harivansh re-elected unopposed as Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman for third term
Search operation underway, more details awaited
Chatra Superintendent of Police Sumit Kumar Agarwal confirmed the killings but said full identification of all the Naxals is yet to be completed. He added that detailed information about the operation will be available after the ongoing search operation concludes.
Senior police officials rushed to the spot soon after receiving information about the encounter, which marks a major success for security forces in the region.