RANCHI/PATNA: A Maoist was killed on Wednesday in a combing operation launched by police following the death of six Jharkhand Jaguar jawans in a landmine blast triggered by the rebels a day earlier.
The operation was underway in the Budha Pahar area on the borders of Latehar and Garhwa districts in Jharkhand. Police said other rebels had been hit and the casualty count could go up.
“We have gunned down a Maoist in Budha Pahar area and one INSAS rifle has been recovered from the spot,” said IG (Operations) Ashish Batra.
“Outsiders who have been creating disturbances in Budha Pahar will be eliminated very soon. Our battle continues in that direction,” he said.
DGP DK Pandy, who visited four jawans injured in Tuesday’s landmine blast in hospital, said the Maoists would be eliminated very soon from the area.
In neighbouring Bihar, the Maoists are suspected to have a hand in Tuesday’s robbery in several AC coaches of the Patna-Hatia Pataliputra Express in Jamui district.
Sources said the chain of the train was pulled to stop it at Kunder Halt around 7.30pm. Nearly 30 men and women armed with pistols, axes, machetes and sticks entered the coaches and robbed passengers of their valuables.