An ‘area commander’ of the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), identified as Jidan Guriya, was killed in an exchange of fire with Security Forces (SFs) at Koengsar village under Murhu Police Station limits in Khunti District of Jharkhand on December 21, reports Hindustan Times. Jidan carried a cash reward of INR 1.5 million on his head. The encounter took place after a joint team of Police and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) were out on a search operation on a tip-off that PLFI supremo Dinesh Gope, carrying a cash reward of INR 2.5 million, and another top PLFI rebel - Martin Kerketta were moving in the jungles around Koengsar village on the Khunti-West Singhbhum District borders. The rebels opened fire seeing the advancing forces and Jidan died in the retaliatory fire while the other rebels managed to escape into the dense forests. The SFs recovered an AK-47 automatic assault rifle near his body.
A hardcore Maoist, identified as Akash Mundu (26) was arrested during a search operation at a forested area under Gudri Police Station limits of West Singhbhum District on December 21, reports The Pioneer. Superintendent of Police (SP) Ajay Linda said that SFs recovered pistols, cartridges, magazines and Naxal [Left Wing Extremist, LWE] posters and banners in addition to four can bombs which they safely defused later.