Jamshedpur/IBNS, Jan. 23 -- A senior Maoist leader carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs.2.35 crore was among 16 Naxals killed during a prolonged gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district on Thursday, officials said.

The encounter marks one of the most significant blows to Left Wing Extremism in recent years, coming months ahead of the Union government's March 31, 2026, deadline to eradicate Naxalism nationwide.

Patiram Majhi, a Maoist central committee member known by multiple aliases including Anal-da, Toofan and Ramesh, was killed along with 15 others during a joint operation by Jharkhand Police and the Central Reserve Police Force's elite 209 CoBRA battalion.

The encounter unfolded in the Kumdi area of the S...