Ranchi: A top commander of the banned People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), was killed in an encounter with security forces in the Gumla district of Jharkhand on Wednesday morning. He was wanted in 72 cases and carried a bounty of Rs 15 lakh on his head.
According to the police, the exchange of fire broke out between PLFI members and security personnel around 9.30 pm on Tuesday in the Changabadi Upartoli area under the Kamdara police station limits, during a search operation. The encounter carried on throughout the night and Martin Kerketta’s body was recovered in the morning.
Authorities maintain that Kerketta was the supremo-cum-regional commander of the proscribed outfit and was wanted in 72 cases registered in several police stations across seven districts of Jharkhand.
”When security forces reached Changabadi Upartoli, the Maoists ambushed them. The security personnel returned fire, in which the PLFI supremo-cum-regional commander Martin Kerketta was killed. A pistol was recovered from the site,” Gumla SP Haris Bin Zaman said.
He claimed that the security forces had received a tip-off about the presence of some Maoists in the area, and accordingly, multiple teams were set up to carry out the operation.
“Four Maoists were present during the exchange of fire. Three managed to flee the spot, taking advantage of the darkness,” Zaman said.
Of the 72 cases against Kerketta, 30 were in Gumla, six in Simdega, four in Chaibasa, one in Chatra, three in Hazaribag, 11 in Ranchi and 17 in Khunti districts.
