Raipur, Aug 7 (PTI) Security forces have apprehended a wanted Maoist commander after a brief encounter in the jungles of the Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district of Chhattisgarh, officials said on Thursday.
Shrikant Punem (35), who was carrying a bounty of Rs 8 lakh, is a divisional committee member (DVCM) operating in the area, they said.
He was nabbed on Wednesday evening after a brief encounter in the jungles of Khursekhurd in the said district, about 180 kms from state capital Raipur.
A 9mm pistol, some bullets, a mobile phone and cash of Rs 11,080 was recovered from him during a joint operation conducted by the 27th and 44th battalions of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the district reserve guard (DRG) of the state police.
Vivek Kumar Pandery, Commandant of the 27th ITBP battalion, and Superintendent of Police Y P Singh addressed the press at the district headquarters and said Punem was a resident of the Bijapur district of the state and joined the Maoist ranks in 2010.
The district shares its border with Kanker (Chhattisgarh) and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra and the forces are undertaking operations here as part of the Union government’s declaration to end Naxalism from the country by March, 2026. PTI NES KVK KVK
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