RANCHI: In a major operation, four Maoists, including a woman, were killed during an intense exchange of fire on the Chatra–Hazaribagh border on Friday. Shahdeo Mahto, who allegedly carried a bounty of ₹15 lakh on his head, and woman Maoist Natasha were among those killed in the encounter.
Chatra SP Sumit Kumar Agarwal confirmed the killing of four Maoists, but clarified that official confirmation of their names and identities will be made only after the identification process is complete.
Sources in the Jharkhand Police said that several weapons, including two AK-47 rifles, have been recovered from the spot.
According to sources, acting on intelligence inputs received by Hazaribagh Police, a joint team of Chatra Police and CoBRA commandos launched an operation and gunned down the four Maoists.
“The Maoists, who got killed in the encounter, include Shahdeo Mahto, Buddhadev and woman Maoist Natasha,” said a senior police official, requesting anonymity.
The process of identifying the fourth Maoist killed in the encounter is currently underway, they added.
Reportedly, Shahdeo Mahto was passing through the Keradari forest area of Hazaribagh along with his associates. As soon as Hazaribagh Police received information about their movement, a joint operation was initiated in coordination with Chatra Police.
To enhance the effectiveness of the operation, a team of CoBRA commandos was also deployed. The police team and Maoists came face-to-face as the latter crossed into the forests of Chatra from Hazaribagh.
The troops immediately took up positions and retaliated. The encounter lasted for several hours, during which the security forces gunned down four Maoists on the spot.
According to police sources, Shahdeo Mahto had allegedly been active for a long time in the border regions of Chatra, Hazaribagh and Latehar.
With the killing of these four Maoists, it is believed that Hazaribagh district has been removed from the list of Maoist-affected areas, as the squad of Shahdeo Mahto was the last remaining active group operating in the Hazaribagh–Chatra region.
With the elimination of these four individuals, Hazaribagh may now allegedly be declared Naxal-free very soon.
Meanwhile, a search operation is being conducted across the entire area. So far, four weapons, including two AK-47 rifles, have been recovered. The police have intensified efforts to locate any other Maoists or hidden weapons.