2 Maoists shot at, explosives recovered in Jharkhand

Two Maoists were shot at, and one might have died, in an encounter in Khunti district as the security forces recovered a large cache of explosives in stepped up operations in the district since last night, a senior police officer said in Khunti of Jharkhand.

Two Maoists were today hit by bullets during the gunbattle which began during a search operation at Gamahria under Adki police station area and one of them might have died "as per our information", superintendent of police Manoj Kaushik told newspersons.

The two were, however, taken away by their associates.

About hundred bullets were exchanged in the one-hour gun-battle, he said adding an IED weighing about 50kg was later recovered from under a culvert.

Meanwhile, during continued search operations by the CRPF and the district police since yesterday, a 50kg bomb, 105 pieces of detonators, 30kg of potassium nitrate, 10kg mixed explosive powder were recovered.

One suspected Naxalite, Soma Alias Marshal, was also nabbed during the search operation yesterday, the police officer said.

The securitymen were on stepped up search operation in the backdrop of the on-going panchayat polls in Jharkhand.