RANCHI: Two Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jharkhand. The encounter took place in a forest area in Bokaro district in Jharkhand. The forest is located about 50 kilometres away from the district headquarters of Bokaro. The clash began in the early hours of Wednesday. Several weapons, including an AK-47, were seized by the security forces.
The Bokaro district police, along with the Cobra unit of the CRPF’s 209th battalion, conducted the Maoist hunt. The Maoist presence was found in the upper sections of the Jarwa and Banshi forests in Bokaro. Afterwards, the security forces surrounded the area. During this time, the Maoists opened fire, and the security forces retaliated strongly.
The two killed Maoists have been identified as Shanti Mahto and Manoj Bakshi. Both were residents of the Dhawatand village. Shanti Mahto was the wife of Ranvijay Mahto, a Maoist leader. Ranvijay was arrested on Tuesday. The information gathered from questioning Ranvijay, who has a bounty of 15 lakhs on his head, led to today’s operation and encounter. The clash is reportedly still ongoing.
In a similar Maoist-security forces clash that occurred the previous day on the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, 14 Maoists were killed, including six women. In a separate encounter in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, on January 16, 17 Maoists were killed.