Ranchi, Aug. 27: A Naxalite was killed in an encounter last night in a forest close to Matiari village under Bero police station of the district.

The deceased was identified as Charku Oroan, who worked under CPI(Maoist) sub-zonal commander Uday Oraon. Police spokesperson and inspector-general (provision) S.N. Pradhan said the police seized a carbine, a rifle, a pistol, a can bomb, magazines, 23 live cartridges and red literature after the encounter.

“The encounter began around 11.30pm and continued for two-and-an-half hours. The rebel, who was killed, was wanted for several crimes,” Pradhan said.

Lohardaga police superintendent Subodh Prasad received a tip-off regarding the rebel’s whereabouts from sources.

“The encounter site is close to the Lohardaga border and the region’s police superintendent received an information first. He carried out the operation with the help of a joint team of Lohardaga and Ranchi police,” Pradhan said.

Besides the deceased, few other rebels were injured in the encounter, claimed Ranchi superintendent of police (rural) Kuldeep Dwivedi said. “We noticed blood stains this morning when we were inspecting the site. We, however, cannot confirm how many rebels were injured,” he said.