At least five Maoists were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday, police said.

The encounter took place along the Chatra-Palamu border in Lawalong police station area, around 160 km from state capital Ranchi, they said.

“Five Maoists were killed and several others suffered bullet injuries. The bodies of all the red rebels have been recovered,” Chatra SP Rakesh Ranjan said.

A huge cache of arms and ammunition was also seized from the spot, he said.

SDPO Ashok Priyadarshi said the gunfight started around 8.30 am.

“The seized arms include two AK-47 rifles and two country made rifles. The search operation is still underway,” he said.

Priyadarshi said Maoist special area committee (SAC) member Gautam Paswan, who was carrying a Rs 25-lakh bounty on his head, is thought to have been killed in the encounter.

“This is being verified,” he added.

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