Janjivan Bureau
Ranchi: Twelve Maoists were killed in an encounter during a joint operation of police and CRPF in Jharkhand’s Palamau district in early hours of Tuesday.
This is the biggest ever operation against the red rebels in tribal-dominated Jharkhand, and security forces have managed to retrieve the bodies. In such operations in hinterlands, Maoists generally manage to run away with the corpses of their comrades.
The two-hour long encounter ensued near Bakoria in Palamu district when the security forces challenged a Maoists’ squad around midnight. They opened fire targeting the security forces comprising assault groups from commandos from Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) and state police.
Soon after the encounter began, Palamu Zone IG A Natrajan and Palamu SP Mayur Patel rushed to the spot with reinforcement.
The Palamu Zone IG A Natrajan told “When the encounter ended at 2am, we found 12 bodies of the ultras strewn here and there during the search operation.” Natrajan further said, “Eight arms and 200 rounds of ammunition besides other items were also recovered from the spot.”
A fresh round of combing operation has been launched in the area. Senior police and CRPF officials were camping at the site which is very close to National Highway 75, connecting state capital Ranchi with Uttar Pradesh.