Woman commander among 2 Maoists killed

New Delhi: Two Maoists, including a woman “commander”, were killed while her husband and top Maoist leader Ranvijay Mahto (50) was arrested following an encounter with security forces in Upperghat area of Bermo subdivision, Bokaro district of Jharkhand, on Wednesday. Two policemen were also injured in the incident, officials said.The woman identified as Shanti (35) was “area commander” and member of the banned CPI (Maoist), they said.The clash took place in the dense forests of Banshi and Jarwa, under the Maoist-affected Penk Narayanpur police station jurisdiction. Mahto, who had a ₹15 lakh bounty on his head, was arrested a day earlier in Chandrapura. The operation continued on Wednesday, with security forces working to arrest the remaining Maoists.Saket Singh, inspector general (operation), Central Reserve Police Force, told ET, “Two Maoists have been killed while Mahto who is a regional committee member of CPI (Maoist) has been arrested. He is involved in more than 40 cases of arson and killing of security forces in Jharkhand. The police have seized one A.K 47 and 2 INSAS rifles along with other arms and ammunition.”

After Mahto’s arrest, police received information about a six-member armed Maoist group hiding in the forests of Jarwa and Banshi. As the search teams closed in on their hideout, the Maoists opened fire, prompting an intense exchange of gunfire. In the ensuing battle, a man and a woman Maoist were killed, while two policemen sustained injuries.Budha Pahar, a border area of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, and Chaibasa-Saraikela-Khunti tri-junction has been freed from the Maoists in Jharkhand, and the left-wing extremists have been confined to a small area. Earlier, Union home minister Amit Shah had declared that the entire country would be free from the menace of the red brigade by March 2026. In Jharkhand, 11 Maoist were killed in 2024 while 14 of them were killed by security forces in 2023, according to official data.Meanwhile, the number of bodies received from the encounter in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday rose to 27 from 14. They included both men and women including top ranking “commander” Jairam alias Chalpati, a central committee member of the CPI (Maoist). He carried a reward of ₹1 crore and was allegedly involved in several cases of encounters and arson on public properties, police said.