Eight Naxals were killed in a gunfight with CRPF and local police in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district early Monday morning. The encounter took place in the Lugu Hills area under Lalpania police limits. Authorities confirmed that firing has ceased and the bodies of all eight Maoists were recovered. Importantly, no injuries were reported among security personnel during the operation.
Among those killed was Vivek, a top Maoist commander carrying a ?1 crore bounty on his head. Jharkhand’s Director General of Police Anurag Gupta confirmed his death. The forces also recovered a cache of weapons from the site, including an AK-series rifle, one SLR, three INSAS rifles, a pistol, and eight locally made Bharmar rifles. Search operations are still underway to secure the area and gather further intelligence.
This encounter follows a recent spike in Naxal-related violence in the region. On April 12, a Jharkhand Jaguar jawan was killed and a CRPF personnel injured in an IED blast in Chaibasa. Earlier, two CRPF jawans were wounded in a separate IED explosion during anti-Naxal operations in Jaraikela, with both airlifted to Ranchi for treatment. These incidents underscore ongoing efforts by security forces to counter the Naxal threat in Jharkhand.