Dreaded CPI (Maoists) zonal commander Sahdeo Rai alias Tala Da, who was main accused in murder of five policemen including the then Pakur SP Amarjit Balihar in 2013, was killed in a fierce encounter with the police force near Chhatupada village under Shikaripada police station area of Dumka on Sunday morning.
An AK-47 rifle, an INASA rifle, magazines, cartridges and bags were recovered from the place of encounter during the search operation.
State government had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakhs on Tala da who is a named accused in around 50 extremists-related incidents in the Santhal Paragana division.
SP Dumka, YS Ramesh informed that a police team comprising of Seema Suraksha Bal and the district police launched an operation on Saturday night after receiving tipoff about the squad led by Tala Da being present in forest near Chhatupada with the intention to commit crime. As police team neared the Maoists at around 7 AM on Sunday when the latter started firing, leading the police force to retaliate. Around 500 rounds were fired from both sides before the extremists escaped.
Police found body of the extremist along with an AK-47 rifle during search operation making it to believe that it was Tala Da. “Only two persons including Tala Da and Vijay carried AK-47 in the squad and the body is certainly not of Vijay,” said a senior police officer.
“We have called the relatives of Tala for identification of the body. The due process prescribed by NHRC including magisterial inquiry would be carried out,” the Dumka SP said.
It may be stated here that police carried out combing operations with the help of dog squad all day in the hope that more extremists may have sustained bullet injuries.
Blood stains were found at several places within a radius of 200 meters from the encounter site. The entire operation was supervised by Dumka DIG Raj Kumar Lakra and the Dumka SP.
“Tala is the main accused of almost all murders and arson which took place in Santhal Paragana area in recent years. His squad is the only Maoists unit operational in Santhal Paragana area.
We have killed two members of the same squad in the last six month. We are hopeful of annihilating the entire squad in the near future,” said IG operations Asish Batra.