Top Maoist With ₹1 Crore Bounty Among Three Rebels Killed In Jharkhand

Security forces neutralised three high-ranking Maoists, including a central committee member with a Rs 1 crore bounty, during an intense gunfight in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district early Monday. The clash erupted around 6 a.m. in the Pantitri forest under Gorhar police station limits between a squad of the banned CPI (Maoist) and a joint team of CoBRA commandos, Hazaribag police, and Giridih personnel. The operation was launched based on intelligence inputs about Maoist presence along the Bokaro-Giridih border, a known insurgent hotspot.

The deceased included Sahdev Soren, alias Prawesh or Pravesh, a key CPI (Maoist) central committee figure responsible for strategic operations in the Bihar-Jharkhand region, carrying the highest bounty of Rs 1 crore. Accompanying him were Raghunath Hembram, alias Chanchal, a special area committee member with a Rs 25 lakh reward, and Birsen Ganjhu, alias Ramkhelawan, a zonal committee member valued at Rs 10 lakh. Bodies were recovered post-exchange of fire, along with three AK-47 rifles and other arms, dealing a severe blow to the group's command structure. No security personnel were injured, and searches continue for potential accomplices.

Jharkhand, part of India's "Red Corridor", has seen intensified anti-Naxal drives in 2025, with the 209 CoBRA unit alone neutralising 20 hardcore insurgents, including two central committee members. This encounter marks the second in two days; on Sunday, TSPC commander Mukhdev Yadav, alias Toofan, with a Rs 5 lakh bounty, was killed in Palamu district, where an INSAS rifle was seized. Yadav was linked to the September 4 killing of two policemen in the same area. IG Operations Michael Raj S hailed the operations as pivotal in curbing Maoist activities, urging surrenders amid ongoing campaigns.

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The string of successes reflects Jharkhand's aggressive strategy against left-wing extremism, which has claimed hundreds of lives annually. Officials emphasise rehabilitation for surrenders while vowing zero tolerance for violence, aiming to eradicate the insurgency by 2026.

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