Security forces on Friday gunned down a People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) rebel in East Singhbhum and recovered a cache of arms and ammunitions, including two AK 47 magazines, a press communiqué from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) said.
Acting on a tip off by intelligence sources, a team of CRPF and district police planned an attack on the rebels while they were crossing a jungle adjoining Thalkobera village under Gudri Police Station. The encounter between the 94 battalion of CRPF and the group of rebels occurred at around 7am and the rebel was neutralized in crossfire.
The neutralised insurgent is yet to be identified, police said, adding that his pictures have been circulated in all the police stations in the district for identification of the body. Sources from the CRPF said that the group of rebels had around 15 members. They fled after one of their aids was shot dead. Security forces recovered a 315 rifle, two AK 47 magazines and several mobile phones from the hideout of the rebels.
According to figures with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), at least 18 of 24 districts in Jharkhand are Left Wing Extremism affected. Apart from the CPI (Maoist), there are at least 17 splinter outfits active in Jharkhand. Founded by an ex-army man Dinesh Gope, PLFI is one of the dominant rebel outfits in Khunti, East Singhbhum, Gumla and its adjoining districts.
Security forces here have up the ante against insurgency here. Last month, police nabbed six rebels in connection with the killings of five policemen at a weekly market in Kharsawan. Police also decided not to de-escalate combing operations during the monsoon in Jharkhand hinterland and instead intensified their operations. At least six encounters have been reported between security forces and rebel outfits here since the conclusion of the 17th General Elections.