Top Naxal leader with Rs 10 lakh bounty killed in Jharkhand, 24 more surrender
JHARAKHAND, MAY 24 : A top leader of the Naxal outfit Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad, Pappu Lohara, who carried a bounty of Rs 10 lakh, was killed in an encounter with security forces on Saturday morning. Another leader of the group, Prabhat Ganjhu, carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh, was also killed in the gunfight.
A third individual, suspected to be a member of the banned outfit, was arrested, and a rifle was recovered from him, officials said, adding that the operation is still underway in the Latehar region.
The encounters come just days after a major Naxal leader, Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh. He was among 30 Naxals gunned down in a joint operation led by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) in the dense Abujhmad forests, as security forces intensify anti-Naxal operations ahead of the Centre’s March 2026 deadline to eliminate Naxalism.
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Meanwhile, in another recent development, 24 Naxals surrendered in Bijapur in Chhattisgarh, on Friday night.
-PTI
