Maoist carrying Rs 1 crore bounty among 16 killed in Chhattisgarh

In Chhattisgarh, a Maoist carrying a Rs 1 crore bounty was among 20 killed in an encounter with security forces in  Gariaband district last night. Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling the operation a "major success". Jayaram Reddy, a senior Maoist leader also known as Chalapati, was killed in the exchange of fire that took place in a forest along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border. A joint team of security personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CoBRA from Chhattisgarh and Special Operation Group (SOG) from Odisha were involved in the operation."With our resolve for a Naxal-free India and the joint efforts of our security forces, Naxalism is breathing its last today," Shah added.
The operation was launched based on intelligence about the presence of Maoists in the Kularighat reserve forest of Chhattisgarh on January 19, just five kilometres from the border of Odisha's Nuapada district.A huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives has been recovered by the security forces following the encounter.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai also praised the security forces and said that under the double-engine government (the BJP government at the Centre and the state), Chhattisgarh will get rid of the Maoists by March 2026. The security forces have been "continuously achieving success" and "moving rapidly" towards fulfilling the target, he said. "This success of the soldiers is commendable. I salute their bravery," Sai posted on X. About 40 Maoists have so far been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh this year.
Chalapati, who was a resident of Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor, was a senior member of the central committee of the Maoists. He was known for his activities in the dense forests of Abujhmad in Bastar region. Aged around 60, he relocated his base a few months ago due to the increasing frequency of encounters in the Abujhmad area and shifted near the Odisha border, seeking a safer operational zone, sources said. Chalapati played a key role in strategizing and leading operations for the Maoists. Chalapati was carried a reward of Rs 1 crore for information leading to his capture