Jharkhand police crackdown on Maoists: 266 held, 32 killed in encounter till September this year

RANCHI: In a major crackdown against red rebels, the Jharkhand Police has arrested a total of 266 Maoists from January to September 2025, including two Regional Committee Members, one Zonal Commander, two Sub-Zonal Commanders and nine Area Commanders. Counting the achievement of Jharkhand police in 2025, IG (Operations) and Jharkhand Police Spokesperson Micheal Raj S informed that 32 Maoists were also killed in the police encounters, including two central committee members, carrying a reward of Rs 1 crore on their heads. Notably, Jharkhand Police, led by DGP Anurag Gupta, have intensified operations across Maoist-affected districts, achieving significant success this year. According to IG (Operations), the security forces have also recovered a huge cache of weapons and explosives during targeted anti-Naxalite drives. From January to September 2025, a total of 157 weapons including 58 stolen from the police, 20 regular firearms and 68 country-made guns were recovered. The security forces also seized 11,950 bullets, 18,884 detonators, 394.5 kilograms of explosives, and levy money worth Rs 39.53 lakh, said the IG. During the operations, police also destroyed 37 bunkers and neutralised 228 IEDs planted by Maoists in forested areas, he added. Jharkhand on alert as Maoists call for resistance week; security tightened across the State The IG said that coordinated operations have weakened the supply chain and command structure of Maoist groups operating in Jharkhand. A total of 266 Maoists were arrested in the first nine months of 2025. Among those captured are several key leaders, including Akram Ganjhu alias Ravindra Ganjhu, a Regional Committee Member (TSPC) carrying a reward of Rs 15 lakh; Ranvijay Mahato, a Regional Committee Member (Maoist) with a reward of Rs 15 lakh; and Kundan Kherwar alias Sudhir Singh, a Zonal Commander (Maoist) with a Rs 10 lakh bounty, said the IG. In addition to that, Michael Raj said, 32 Maoists were killed in encounters with security forces between January and September 2025. The slain extremists include high-ranking leaders such as Vivek alias Prayag Manjhi and Anuj alias Sahdev Soren, both Central Committee Members (Maoist) carrying rewards of Rs 1 crore each, he said. According to police, these encounters have significantly disrupted Maoist operations in Latehar, Chatra, Gumla, and Simdega districts. Senior officials informed that continuous operations, enhanced intelligence and community engagement have reduced Maoist activity in the state.