Maoist with Rs 15 lakh bounty killed in gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand: Police

A member of the banned Maoist splinter group PLFI, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 15 lakh on his head, was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand’s Gumla district, police said on Wednesday.

The exchange of fire broke out between members of the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) and security personnel around 9.30 pm on Tuesday in the Changabadi Upartoli area under the Kamdara Police Station limits when forces were carrying out a search operation, a senior officer said.

The deceased, identified as Martin Kerketta, was the supremo-cum-regional commander of the proscribed outfit and was wanted in 72 cases registered in several police stations across seven districts in Jharkhand, he said.

“As security forces reached Changabadi Upartoli, Maoists started firing at them. Security personnel also retaliated, in which the PLFI supremo-cum-regional commander Martin Kerketta was killed. A pistol was also recovered from his possession,” Gumla Superintendent of Police (SP) Haris Bin Zaman told PTI.

The Gumla SP said he had received a tip-off about the presence of some Maoists in the area, and accordingly, multiple teams were set up to carry out the operation.

“Four Maoists were present during the exchange of fire. Three managed to flee the spot, taking advantage of the darkness,” he said.

He said Kerketta was wanted in 72 cases, including 30 cases in Gumla, six in Simdega, four in Chaibasa, one in Chatra, three in Hazaribag, 11 in Ranchi and 17 in Khunti districts.