RANCHI: Maoist commander Manish Yadav, who had a bounty of ₹5 lakh on his head, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Latehar in Jharkhand late Sunday night.
Meanwhile, another wanted Maoist, Kundar Kherwar, who carried a reward of ₹10 lakh, was arrested from the encounter site.
According to police officials, the gunfight took place in the forests of Karamkhad and Dauna under the Mahuadanr Police Station in Latehar. An intensive search operation is underway in the area to locate other Maoists believed to be hiding in the jungles.
Police sources said the encounter began late Sunday night and continued until Monday morning. During the post-encounter search operation, the body of a Maoist was recovered and later identified as Manish Yadav.
Palamu DIG Y.S. Ramesh confirmed the incident. "Following a tip-off that Maoist Manish Yadav had been seen in the forest with his squad, a police team was formed, and a search operation was launched. However, as soon as the Maoists spotted the security forces, they opened fire. The security forces retaliated, killing Manish Yadav on the spot," said DIG Ramesh.
Two automatic rifles and other daily-use items were recovered from the site.
With the elimination of Manish Yadav, the leadership of Bihar-based Maoist units in the Budha Pahad training center has effectively ended.
A resident of Chhakarbandha in Gaya district, Yadav was considered the last top Maoist commander from Bihar active in the Budha Pahad region. He had been operating in the area for over a decade.
Manish Yadav began as an ordinary cadre in the Maoist squad and gradually rose to the rank of sub-zonal commander. His in-laws reportedly live in the same area where the encounter occurred.
This marks the second major success for the Jharkhand Police in recent days. On Friday night, Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) commander Pappu Lohra and sub-zonal commander Prabhat Ganjhu were also killed in an encounter. Lohra and Ganjhu had bounties of ₹10 lakh and ₹5 lakh respectively on their heads.