Maoist leader, carrying Rs 8 lakh bounty, shot dead in Bijapur

A senior Maoist leader, Nagesh, was killed in Bijapur district by security forces during a search operation. Nagesh carried a bounty of Rs 8 lakh and had at least 108 pending cases against him. The joint team of CRPF and state police encountered the Maoists in a dense forest area near the trijunction of Telangana, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh. Nagesh was found dead in uniform with an AK 47, along with ammunition and explosives. The encounter is seen as a significant success in anti-Maoist operations ahead of the assembly elections in Bastar.