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The fight broke out in the forests of Pantitri under Gorhar police station limits during a joint operation by troops of the 209 CoBRA unit and the state police.
(Representative image)
Three Maoists, including a senior commander carrying a Rs 1 crore bounty, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district, officials said.
The gun battle broke out in the forests of Pantitri under Gorhar police station limits during a joint operation by troops of the 209 CoBRA unit and the state police.
Those neutralised included Sahadev Soren, a central committee member with a reward of Rs 1 crore, Raghunath Hembram, a special area committee member with a Rs 25 lakh bounty, and Virsen Ganjhu, a zonal committee member carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh.
#WATCH | CoBRA battalion of CRPF, Giridih and Hazaribagh Police eliminated three top Naxal leaders, who together carried rewards worth Rs 1.35 crore, this morning in a joint operation in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. Visuals of the joint operation.(Video Source: CRPF) pic.twitter.com/WsAnIPqVd7
— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2025
The police said multiple weapons, including three AK-47 rifles, were recovered from the encounter site. Security forces are continuing search operations in the area to track down any remaining Maoist cadres.
The encounter began on Sunday when personnel of the 209 CoBRA battalion and Hazaribagh police launched a joint search in the Pati Piri forest under Gorhar police station limits. Gunfire broke out with Maoists during the operation, officials said.
Central Committee member Sahdev Soren, who carried a bounty of ₹1 crore, had earlier been involved in a July encounter in which a CoBRA jawan was killed. “A bullet hit the jawan of the 209 battalion during a search operation carried out by Bokaro police. We had intelligence that a major incident was being planned by the group,” Bokaro SP Harvinder Singh had said at the time.
In a separate operation on September 7 in Chaibasa, another senior Maoist, Aaptan, also known as Amit Hansda, was killed during a gun battle. The zonal commander carried a ₹10 lakh reward, had over 95 cases against him, and was accused of murdering several policemen and civilians.
Police said the Chaibasa operation followed intelligence inputs that top Maoist leaders were planning major strikes and actively recruiting new cadres.
Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ…Read More
Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ… Read More
September 15, 2025, 09:09 IST
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