Chaibasa, Sept. 7 -- A prominent leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), Aaptan, was killed in Jharkhand's Chaibasa area during a joint operation carried out by the district police and the COBRA 209 battalion in the state, officials confirmed on Sunday.

The Maoist zonal commander, also known by the name Amit Hansda, had a Rs 10 lakh reward on him, had over 95 cases registered against him, and was allegedly involved in the murder of multiple police officials and civilians, Superintendent of Police (SP) Rakesh Ranjan said.

The Maoists had opened fire at the security forces after spotting them, leading to a gunfight, during which the maoist commander was killed. His identity was confirmed after security forces searched the ...