Top Maoist Leaders Killed in Chhattisgarh Encounter

Raipur: Two of the three Maoists slain in an encounter with security personnel in Abujhmad in Narayanpur district under south Bastar in Chhattisgarh on September 23 were senior Naxal leaders who collectively carried bounties of Rs 41 lakh, police said on Tuesday.

The two slain Maoists have been identified as Rupesh, member of Dandakaranya Zonal Committee (DKZC), and Jagdish, a divisional committee member (DVCM) of the outlawed CPI (Maoists), Bastar range inspector general of police P Sunderraj told this newspaper.

Rupesh, who headed the west sub-zone of Maoists, carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head while Jagdish, the commander of company number ten of Naxals, had a bounty of Rs 16 lakh declared on him by the police.

The third slain Naxal, a woman, was yet to be identified, Mr Sunderraj said.

The encounter took place in a hilly forested area in Abujhmad bordering between Narayanpur in Bastar and Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra at around four pm on Monday, police said.

Huge cache of arms and ammunition including one AK 47, one self-loaded rifle (SLR) and one INSAS assault rifle were recovered at the encounter site.

With this, as many as 157 Maoists have been killed in 92 separate encounters in Bastar in 2024 so far.

While 663 Naxals were arrested, 656 ultras have surrendered in the current year so far.

Meanwhile, two Maoists were suspected to have been killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chintalnar area in Sukma district under south Bastar on Tuesday.

The encounter took place in a hilly forested area situated on the bank of Chintavagu river under Chintalnar police station early on Tuesday morning, police said.

However, Maoists have succeeded in carrying the bodies of two slain Naxals with them while fleeing the spot, police claimed.