Jharkhand: Top naxal leader carrying bounty of Rs 10 lakh killed in encounter, over 30 surrender
PTC News Desk: In a significant development, a top naxal leader who was carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh was killed in an encounter with security forces on Saturday. The deceased who has been identified as Pappu Lohara was head of the Naxal outfit Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad and a wanted militant.
Another senior leader of the group, Prabhat Ganjhu, who had a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, was also gunned down during the exchange of fire. A third individual suspected to be associated with the banned outfit was apprehended during the operation. Police have recovered a rifle from his posession.
The latest encounter follows the killing of Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, a top-ranking Naxal commander, in Chhattisgarh. Rao was among 30 Naxals shot dead during a massive joint operation led by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) in the dense Abujhmad forests earlier this week.
According to the police, in a separate development 24 naxals had surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district while 33 surrendered in state's Bastar region.
Security forces have stepped up anti-Naxal operations in multiple states as the Centre pushes towards its March 2026 deadline to eliminate the Maoist insurgency.
- PTC NEWS
