Maoist killed in encounter with security forces on Bihar-Jharkhand border

A Maoist was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district on Monday, during a search operation carried out by the CoBRA battalion of the CRPF and Jharkhand and Bihar police

Hazaribagh (Jharkhand): A Maoist was killed in an encounter with the security forces in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district on Saturday, police said.

"The CoBRA battalion of the CRPF and the police of Jharkhand and Bihar launched the search operation between Chouparan and Gaya following information that the Parduman Dasta (squad) of the CPI (Maoist) entered the forests on the borders to target the patrolling security personnel," said Inspector General of Police (Operation) Ashish Batra.

Reportedly, the Maoists opened fire at the security personnel at Chouparan police station area. The body of the Maoist, who is yet to be identified, was recovered following the encounter and a search operation was continuing as 12 to 15 Maoists have entered Bihar.

An INSAS rifle and a large number of bullet rounds were recovered from the spot. "The documents recovered from the spot were being examined," the officer said.

The police have detained five villagers around the area where the Maoists had meals on Friday night. The detained locals would interrogated, sources said.