Curtain comes down on rebel commander

MORE THAN 60 CASES ARE REGISTERED AGAINST PRAYAG MANJHI IN GIRIDIH, BOKARO, CHAIBASA, AND DHANBAD DISTRICTS ALONE

- Raj Kumar

RANCHI: Vivek alias Prayag Manjhi, a central committee member of CPI (Maoist) and Jharkhand's second most wanted Naxalite carrying a ₹1 crore bounty, was among eight Maoists shot dead by security forces during an encounter at the foot of Lugu Pahad in Bokaro district on Monday, director general of police (DGP) Anurag Gupta said on Monday.

"During the encounter, eight dead bodies, a large quantity of weapons, and daily-use items have been recovered. In the preliminary investigation, three of the eight dead Naxalites have been identified. They are Vivek, alias Prayag Manjhi (central committee member), with a reward of ₹1 crore, Arvind Yadav (special area committee member), carrying a reward of ₹25 lakh, and Saheb Ram Manjhi (zonal committee member), carrying a reward of ₹10 lakh. Further action is being taken to identify the remaining five dead Naxalites," DGP Gupta said.

Sharing details of the recovery of arms and ammunition, DGP Gupta said, "Four INSAS rifles, one SLR, and one revolver have been recovered so far."

The DGP further said that operation 'Dakabeda' took place based on an intelligence input, which turned into an encounter at 5:30 am at the foot of Lugu Hill on Monday.