Superintendent of Police Anjani Anjan confirmed on Monday that at least three Naxalites, with a combined bounty of Rs 1.35 crore, were neutralised in the Pati Piri forest of Hazaribagh district. Among those killed were:
- Sahdev Soren (alias Parvesh) – Central Committee member; bounty of Rs 1 crore.
- Raghunath Hembram – Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee member; bounty of Rs 25 lakh.
- Birsen Ganjhu (alias Ramkhelavan) – Regional Committee member; bounty of Rs 10 lakh.
Police recovered multiple weapons, including an AK-47, from the encounter site.
Security forces are continuing to search for any remaining Naxal operatives.
The operation was launched on Sunday by the 209 CoBRA battalion in coordination with Hazaribagh police.
The encounter occurred in the Pati Piri forest under the Gorhar police station area.
Sahdev Soren had previously been involved in a July encounter during which a security personnel of the 209 battalion was killed.
Bokaro SP Harvinder Singh said the encounter followed intelligence that the group was planning a major attack.
Earlier, on 7 September, a prominent CPI (Maoist) leader, Aaptan, also known as Amit Hansda, was killed in a gunfight in Chaibasa.
Hansda had a Rs 10 lakh bounty, over 95 criminal cases registered against him, and was implicated in the killings of multiple police personnel and civilians.
Police confirmed that the Hazaribagh operation was based on intelligence received on 6 September. The information indicated that top Maoists were planning major attacks and attempting to recruit new cadres.
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