The body of the 17th Maoist killed in the fierce encounter between security forces and Maoists in Jharkhand’s Saranda Forest has been recovered during an ongoing search operation, Jharkhand Police said on Friday.
The recovery has substantiated the police claim that more than 15 Maoists were eliminated in Thursday’s operation.
Earlier, the bodies of 15 Maoists, including top CPI (Maoist) leader Anil alias Patiram Majhi — who was carrying a bounty of ₹2.35 crore— were recovered following the encounter.
With the recovery of two more bodies on Friday, the total number of Maoists killed in the operation has risen to 17.
Inspector General of Police (Operations) Dr Michael Raj said that Maoists opened fire on security forces again on Friday during the continued operation in the Saranda region.
“The firing was effectively retaliated, and the search operation is still underway in the Maoist stronghold,” he said. However, the identity of the 17th Maoist is yet to be established.
The encounter took place under the jurisdiction of the Kiriburu police station, where a joint team comprising personnel from 209 CoBRA, Jharkhand Jaguar, CRPF, and district police forces launched a coordinated operation.
Security forces engaged in multiple rounds of gunfight with the armed squad of top Maoist leader Anil alias Patiram Majhi starting around 6:30 am on Thursday.
According to police, Maoists resorted to indiscriminate firing in an attempt to inflict damage on the forces, but the personnel responded effectively in self-defence.
In addition to the recovery of bodies, a large cache of arms, ammunition, and daily-use materials was also seized from the encounter site.
Officials said the operation is one of the biggest anti-Maoist actions in recent years and search operations are continuing to ensure the area is completely sanitised.
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