An FIR has been registered against 12 Maoists in connection with the killing of a forest tracker in Jharkhand’s Latehar district, police said.

Forest tracker Dev Kumar Prajapati, aged 35, was beaten to death and four others were injured allegedly by a group of around 15 Maoists in Durup Panchayat under the Netarhat Police Station limits, about 150 km from the state capital Ranchi, on Wednesday night.

Latehar Superintendent of Police (SP) Anjani Anjan said the FIR against 12 red rebels and several unknown members of banned CPI (Maoist) has been registered.

"Maoist regional commander Chhotu Kharwar, zonal commander Manish, sub-zonal commanders Ujjwal and Pradip have been named in the FIR," he said on Friday.

The police have been conducting raids to arrest the Maoists after the forest tracker was killed, the SP said.

Prajapati was engaged as a forest tracker on a daily wage basis in the Palamau Tiger Reserve.

Meanwhile, CRPF jawans have recovered an improvised explosive device from the Maoist-hit Kuku village under the Garu Police Station limits in Latehar district, CRPF 112 battalion commandant Pramod Sahu said.

The IED has been defused, he added.

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