Top Naxalite carrying ₹5 lakh bounty shot dead by police in Bijapur

In a significant breakthrough for anti-Naxal operations, security forces on Friday killed a senior Maoist leader in an encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district . The deceased, identified as Fagnu Madvi , 35, a senior member of the Bhairamgarh area committee , carried a bounty of ₹5 lakh on his head and was considered a key operative in planning attacks and coordinating Maoist activities in the region.

The gunbattle occurred in the forested Aadwada Kotmeta area under the Bhairamgarh police station limits when a team of the District Reserve Guard launched an operation based on intelligence about the presence of Maoist cadres. The exchange of fire lasted for several hours before the area was secured.

Security personnel recovered Madvi’s body along with a .303 rifle, a 9 mm pistol, and explosive materials. In addition, the forces seized two scanner sets, a radio, medical kits, corded wire, Maoist bags, pamphlets, and other materials linked to the outlawed organisation.

Inspector General of Police of Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattilingam , said the operation reflected the effectiveness of coordinated security measures, which have substantially weakened Maoist networks in Bastar . “Maoism in Bastar is now in its final phase. We urge remaining cadres to abandon violence and take advantage of the government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy,” he said.

With this encounter, the number of Naxalites killed in Chhattisgarh this year has reached 285. Of these, 256 were neutralised in the Bastar division, which covers seven districts including Bijapur, 27 in Gariaband district under Raipur division, and two in Mohla Manpur Ambagarh Chowki district of Durg division. Earlier, three Maoists were killed in a separate encounter in Sukma district of Bastar.