Chaibasa, Jan 29 : At least two Maoists, including a woman, were neutralized in a joint operation on Wednesday morning by police and security forces in the Sonua police station area of West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand. The operation also led to the recovery of weapons and other items associated with the Maoists.

Confirming the incident, Chaibasa Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashutosh Shekhar stated that a search operation is still going on in the region.

Although the identities of the deceased Maoists are yet to be officially disclosed, one of them is believed to be Sanjay Ganjhu, the zonal commander of the CPI(Maoist) organisation.

The SP had received intelligence reports indicating that an armed squad of Maoists had set up a camp in the forests of the Sonua police station area and was planning a major attack. Acting on this information, a coordinated team comprising district police personnel and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officers encircled the area and launched a search operation.

As the security forces advanced, the Maoists opened fire, prompting the forces to retaliate. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, two Maoists were killed. However, other members of the group managed to escape into the dense forest.

This is the second major encounter in Jharkhand within the past week. On January 22, a similar operation in the Tejnarayanpur police station area of Bokaro district resulted in the deaths of two Maoists, identified as Shanti and Manoj Baske.

Shanti, a resident of Dhavatand village under Khukhara police station in Giridih district, served as an Area Commander for the CPI (Maoist). Her associate, Manoj, hailed from the Pirtand police station area of the same district.

The security forces continue their operations in the region to dismantle Maoist activities and ensure the safety of local communities.

/IANS