CoBRA commandos neutralise eight Naxals in Jharkhand hills
Eight Naxals were gunned down on Monday morning during an encounter with CRPF's CoBRA commandos and state police in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district. Arms were recovered and no injuries were reported among the personnel, officials confirmed. The encounter, which began around 5.30 a.m., was ongoing at press time.
News Arena Network - Ranchi - UPDATED: April 21, 2025, 02:29 PM - 2 min read
Representative image.
Eight Naxals were neutralised in an early morning gunfight with commandos of the CoBRA unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and local police in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district on Monday.
Notorious Naxal commander Vivek, who carried a bounty of ₹1 crore on his head, was among the seven other Maoists who were gunned down in an encounter with security forces.
The Naxal leader who was shot dead by security forces in Bokaro.
According to officials, the encounter began around 5.30 a.m. in the Lugu Hills area of Lalpania in Bokaro and was still ongoing at the time of reporting.
"The troops of 209 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) conducted the operation in which six Naxals were killed and two INSAS rifles, a self-loading rifle (SLR) and a pistol were seized," said an official.
There have been no reported injuries among the security personnel engaged in the operation.
The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) is a specialised unit of the CRPF trained in jungle warfare and anti-Naxal operations.
According to the CRPF, security personnel recovered a cache of arms from the encounter site, which included one AK-series rifle, one Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), three INSAS rifles, one pistol, and eight country-made Bharmar rifles.
“No injuries or casualties have been reported among the security personnel involved in the operation,” the CRPF said in a statement.
“The gunfire has ceased, and a thorough search operation is currently underway in the area to ensure complete sanitisation and to trace any remaining insurgents or hidden weaponry,” the statement added.
The CRPF, India's largest Central Armed Police Force under the Ministry of Home Affairs, is tasked with maintaining internal security across its jurisdiction.
Officials noted that the operation forms part of a broader intensified campaign by security forces aimed at dismantling Naxalite activities in the region.
Security forces have intensified operations in forested regions of Jharkhand in recent weeks as part of a concerted crackdown on left-wing extremism. Officials noted that combing operations were still underway in the area to track down any remaining Naxals.
The incident comes amid renewed efforts by the central and state governments to curb Maoist activity in the so-called 'Red Corridor', which includes parts of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
Follow us
