Jharkhand: Body of another Maoist found, toll rises to 17

Chaibasa: One more body of a Maoist was found in a forest in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, taking the toll of the red rebels in a gun-battle with the security forces to 17 in two days, police said on Friday.

Search operation is still on in the Saranda forest where a total of 16 rebels, including Patiram Manjhi alias Anal Da, carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 2.35 crore on his head, were killed on Thursday.

Five women were among those killed in the operation by the CRPF’s CoBRA unit, which specialises in jungle warfare, and the state police.

Around 1,500 security personnel are engaged in the fighting as the Centre’s deadline of March 31 for ending Left-Wing Extremism in the country approaches.

“We have so far recovered a total of 17 bodies while the search operation by the security forces is on in the area... We are holding that area,” IGP (Operations) Michael Raj S said.

Raj, who is also the state police spokesperson, said it is one of the biggest anti-Naxal operations in the state.

The operation started on Tuesday, a day after CRPF DG Gyanendra Pratap Singh met senior officers in Chaibasa, the district headquarters, to chalk out a strategy following a tip-off about the presence of Anal and his squad in the Saranda forest.

However, the gunfight began on Thursday morning, after the two sides encountered each other, officials said.