Maoist leader with Rs 1 crore bounty among 14 killed in Chhattisgarh op

A senior Maoist leader, Jayaram Reddy, also known as Chalapati, who carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore, was among 14 Maoists killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district.

The exchange of fire took place on Monday night, 21 January, in a forested area near the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, in the Kularighat reserve forest, located just five kilometres from Odisha's Nuapada district.

The operation was carried out by a joint team of security forces, including the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CoBRA from Chhattisgarh, and the Special Operations Group (SOG) from Odisha.

The encounter that was launched based on Intelligence inputs about Maoist presence, led to the recovery of a large cache of firearms, ammunition, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and a self-loading rifle. A massive search operation is currently underway in the area.

The operation is part of ongoing efforts to eliminate Maoist activity in Chhattisgarh, with over 40 Maoists killed in separate encounters in 2025 alone.

Chalapati, a key figure in Maoist operations in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, had recently relocated near the Odisha border to avoid the increasing frequency of encounters in his previous base.

In 2024, security forces killed over 200 Maoists in Chhattisgarh, including 217 from the Bastar region. The year also saw the arrest of over 800 Maoists and the surrender of approximately 802 others. Despite these successes, the ongoing conflict has resulted in the loss of 18 security personnel and 65 civilians.

Union Home minister Amit Shah hailed the operation as a "major success," calling it another significant blow to Naxalism.

He added, "With our resolve for a Naxal-free India and the joint efforts of our security forces, Naxalism is breathing its last today."