An exchange of fire took place between Security Forces (SFs) and the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres at Rolahatu forest under Kuchai Police Station limits in Seraikela Kharsawan District of Jharkhand on February 10, reports The Telegraph. No casualty was reported from either side in the incident. “As the Police and Paramilitary Forces were carrying out a special operation against the rebels in the jungle, the rebels had started raining shots at the forces at about 11.30 am. The Paramilitary Forces had also retaliated by firing shots. The encounter lasted for over an hour, causing the Maoists to give a retreat as the Paramilitary Forces had overpowered them. There is no casualty on the side of the paramilitary forces, but whether the Naxals had any casualty or not is yet to be ascertained,” Superintendent of Police (SP), Mohammed Arshi said.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on February 10 carried out searches in the dense forests of Khunti District in Jharkhand and recovered high-grade explosives belonging to the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), reports The New Indian Express. The searches were conducted in the Korangburu hillock at Jilingkel at the instance of an arrested Maoist identified as Naina alias Birsa Munda. “During the early morning operation, 100 metres of Cordtex wire (a type of detonating cord) and high-grade explosive -- 126 Gelatin sticks, weighing about 15 kgs -- were recovered”, an NIA spokesperson said. Naina was arrested in connection with the killing of five Police personnel in an attack by CPI-Maoist in June, 2019 at Kukru Haat in Seraikela Kharsawan District. The Jharkhand Police had arrested 11 accused and filed two charge-sheets against them. The NIA re-registered the case in December 2020 and arrested five more armed cadres of CPI-Maoist. During Naina's questioning, it was revealed that explosives procured by the CPI-Maoist were hidden at the Korangburu hillock, the NIA spokesperson added.