In a major setback to left-wing extremism in Jharkhand, two Maoists — including the notorious Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) chief Pappu Lohara and his close aide Prabhat Lohra — were shot dead by police during an intense encounter in the Ichabar forests of Latehar district on Saturday morning.

Police sources also suspect that a third Maoist may have been killed in the gunfight, although his body has not yet been recovered.

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The encounter resulted from an intelligence-driven operation led by Latehar Superintendent of Police Kumar Gaurav. Acting on specific inputs about Maoists plotting a major attack in the area, a joint team of police and security personnel launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Ichabar forests.

During the operation, the Maoists opened fire, prompting a retaliatory response in which Pappu Lohara and Prabhat Lohra were killed.

A police constable, Awadh Singh, was injured in the exchange of fire and is currently receiving treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.

Pappu Lohara, a former commander of the Maoists’ 42nd Platoon, was a well-known figure in Jharkhand’s extremist landscape. Initially aligned with mainstream Maoist factions, he defected to form or lead the breakaway JJMP after reportedly escaping a Maoist ‘Jan Adalat’ (people’s court) death sentence in 2009-10.

He was accused of internal betrayal and misconduct by Maoist top brass and subsequently joined JJMP, leveraging his deep knowledge of Maoist camps and weapon caches.

Over the past decade, Lohara emerged as one of the most feared Maoist commanders in the region. His name was associated with several ambushes, extortion rackets, and inter-group clashes.

He was known to have taken over multiple Maoist bases and weapons stockpiles, particularly in Latehar, Palamu, Garhwa, Lohardaga, and Gumla districts. Security officials believe he was instrumental in driving Maoist cadres out of strategic strongholds like Budha Pahad and Sarju forest zone.

Lohara’s operations were not limited to armed skirmishes. He allegedly ran a lucrative extortion network, extracting crores of rupees in levy from contractors, traders, and transporters across Palamu and adjoining districts. Several high-profile attacks in the past were reportedly carried out to enforce these collections or intimidate rivals.

Saturday’s encounter comes amid a sustained crackdown on JJMP and other extremist outfits in the region. Just a night earlier, police forces had neutralized two Maoists in the same area, suggesting that a larger group had been encircled.

DIG Palamu Range Y.S. Ramesh confirmed the recovery of two bodies and said the operation is ongoing to flush out any remaining extremists in the dense terrain.

JJMP has been particularly active in Latehar and surrounding districts, often clashing with both state forces and rival Maoist factions. The police believe that Lohara’s elimination marks a major strategic win and could disrupt JJMP’s operations significantly.