PTI
Chaibasa
Fifteen Maoists, including top leader Anal Da, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 2.35 crore, were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district on Thursday, the police said.
Among those killed were five women. Around 1,500 personnel of the CRPF’s CoBRA unit were engaged in the operation in Kumdi area of Saranda forest within Kiriburu police station limits, officials said, describing it as one of the biggest anti-Maoist drives in the state.
“We have recovered the bodies of 15 Maoists, including their top leader Patiram Majhi alias Anal Da carrying a bounty of Rs 2.35 crore on his head. The encounter lasted for seven hours and thereafter intermittent exchange continued till late evening. Out of 15 bodies, 11 have been identified and identification of the remaining four Maoists is underway,” IG CRPF Saket Kumar Singh said.
“This is the first time bodies of 15 Maoists have been recovered after an encounter in Jharkhand. Earlier, the highest number was eight,” Singh said.
Barring Misir Besra, all central committee members of CPI (Maoists) have been killed in Jharkhand, Singh said.
“Two central committee members were killed last year and one this year,” he said, adding that now only 60-65 Maoists are left in the state and that too
in Singhbhum.
“The last round of battle is going on and we will end this soon,” Singh added.
The IG CRPF urged the Maoists to surrender before the security forces or else to be ready to face consequences.
Inspector general of police (operations) Michael Raj S told PTI that among the 15 Maoist killed in ‘Operation Megaburu’, five were women.
Officials said Anal Da, wanted in 149 Maoist related cases, was carrying a bounty of Rs 2.35 crore on his head, comprising Rs 1 crore by Jharkhand government, Rs 1.2 crore (Odisha government) and Rs 15 lakh by the NIA.
He was involved in an attack on a CISF camp in Jharkhand’s Bokaro on March 3, 2006, in which five CISF personnel were killed and two injured.
Anal was also involved in the killing of five security personnel at Kukru Haat in Seraikela-Kharswan district in June 2019 and loot of five tonnes of explosives in Odisha in May 2025.
Another top Maoist leader killed in the encounter was Bihar-Jharkhand special area committee member Anmol alias Sushant, who was wanted in 149 cases and carried a Rs 90 lakh reward, comprising Rs 25 lakh by Jharkhand and Rs 65 lakh by Odisha governments, officials said.
