NEW DELHI: At least three members of a banned Naxals splinter group were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand’s Gumla district on Wednesday morning, police said.The encounter occurred around 8 am in a forest near Kechki village, under the jurisdiction of Bishnupur police station, between Jharkhand Jaguar forces, Gumla Police and Naxals of the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP).“Three JJMP Maoists were killed in the gunfight, and three weapons were recovered from the site,” IG (Operations) and Jharkhand Police spokesperson Michael Raj S told news agency PTI.

Gumla SP Haris Bin Zaman identified the deceased Naxals as Lalu Lohra and Sujit Oraon from Lohardaga district and Chotu Oraon from Latehar.The operation followed a tip-off regarding the presence of active JJMP members in the Kechki forest area. “Based on intelligence inputs, a joint operation by Jharkhand Jaguar and Gumla Police was planned. On Wednesday morning, the Maoists opened fire upon seeing the police. Security forces retaliated, resulting in the deaths of three Maoists,” the police statement said.During the search, authorities recovered an AK-56 rifle, one INSAS rifle, one SLR and several cartridges.According to the release, “The JJMP organisation is almost finished. Nine JJMP members have been killed, three arrested and nine have surrendered. The remaining two-three members will be arrested soon.” Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta, visiting Gumla, said, “A total of 32 Maoists have been killed this year. We have set a target to eliminate Maoists from the state by end of this year. No Maoist will remain to see 2026. I would suggest them to surrender before the security forces or face the consequences.”