Hazaribagh, Sep 15 || In a major blow to the Maoist insurgency, three Maoists, including top leader Sahadev Soren alias Pravesh, who carried a bounty of Rs one crore, were killed during a joint operation by police and security forces in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district on Monday.
The encounter took place around 6 a.m. in the Panitiri jungle under Girhor police station limits, close to the Bokaro-Giridih border. Security forces recovered the bodies of Soren and two other Maoists following the exchange of fire.
According to officials, a joint team of CoBRA commandos and police from Giridih and Hazaribagh confronted the CPI (Maoist) group led by Soren.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) said that troops of 209 CoBRA and local police launched an operation during which "an exchange of fire broke out between troops and Maoists. The troops neutralised three Maoists and recovered three AK-47 rifles."