Raipur, May 4 -- A Maoist commander, carrying a reward of Rs.8 lakh on his head, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Gariaband district of Chhattisgarh, police said on Saturday. The gunfight took place on Friday evening in a forest near Motipani village when a joint team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and E-30, a unit of the district police, was out on an anti-Maoist operation, officers said. "A joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Maoist operation when the Maoists fired on them," inspector general of police (Raipur range) Amresh Mishra said. Officials identified the deceased as Yogesh Kosra alias Ayatu. "The deceased Maoist, a divisional committee member of CPI (Maoist), was carrying a reward of Rs.8 lakh on his head," a police officer said. "He was the commander of senior Maoist leader Manoj." After the exchange of fire, police recovered a self-loading rifle (SLR) and a cache of explosives, the IG said. With the latest action, 145 Maoists have been gunned down in separate encounters in the state so far this year. Of them, 123 were eliminated in the Bastar division comprising seven districts, including Narayanpur and Kondagaon....