- By Shubham Bajpai
- Sat, 24 May 2025 12:20 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
In a major success, the security forces killed a top Naxalite leader who carried a bounty of Rs 10 lakh over his head in Jharkhand's Latehar on Saturday morning.
The Naxalite identified as Pappu Lohara was the head of an outfit named Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad. He was wanted by the security forces and carried a bounty of Rs 10 lakh. Along with him, another senior leader of the group named Prabhar Ganjhu, was also killed by the security forces. Ganjhu had a bounty of Rs 5 lakh.
During the encounter, another militant was injured and arrested, and an INSAS rifle was confiscated from his possession. The security forces said that the operation was underway.
A senior official said that Lohra and his associate were killed during an anti-Naxal operation, conducted jointly by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Jharkhand Police, in a forest under the Latehar Police Station limits.
The search operation was launched by a team of security personnel led by Latehar Superintendent of Police (SP) Kumar Gaurav based on a tip-off.
The official said, "As the Maoists spotted the security personnel, they fired targeting them, and the team retaliated."
Providing details about the operation, Palamu DIG YS Ramesh said, "Two Maoists were killed in a gunfight with security forces. The police have recovered their bodies."
The major success in Latehar comes three days after 30 Naxalites, including top leader Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavraj, in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur. Rao, who carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore, was shot dead during a massive joint operation led by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) in the dense Abujhmad forests.
(With PTI Inputs)
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