Hyderabad: A top Telangana Maoist leader was among five Maoists killed in two separate encounters. The encounters were with security forces in Odisha on Thursday, police said.
Police identified the slain leader as Paka Hanmanthu, also known as Uke Ganesh, Rajesh Tiwari and Chamru Ganeshanna. He was a central committee member of the banned Maoist party and was 65 years old.
Ganesh was a native of Pullem village in Chandur mandal of Nalgonda district. Police said he had discontinued his BSc studies before joining the Maoist movement. Later, he played a key role in Naxal activities in Odisha.
According to Odisha police, the encounter occurred during a joint combing operation. The operation was conducted by 23 teams of the Special Operations Group, CRPF and BSF in the Rambha forest area of the Chakapad region in Kandhamal district.
Telangana Maoist leader killed in joint security operation
Police said security forces came under fire while searching for Maoists in the forest area, triggering an exchange of fire. During the operation, Ganesh and two other Maoists were killed. In a separate encounter elsewhere, two more Maoists were shot dead, taking the total toll to five.
Police said Ganesh carried a cash reward of Rs.1.1 crore on his head. Security forces recovered two INSAS rifles and one .303 rifle from the encounter site where he was killed.
Officials said further combing operations were underway in the region to trace any remaining Maoist presence.