Ranchi/ Lohardaga, Feb 16 (PTI) A suspected Maoist was killed in a gunfight with the police in Jharkhand's Lohardaga district on Wednesday, an official said.

The gunfight took place in Bulbul forest in Peshrar police station area, he said.

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"The body of a Maoist was found from the place of encounter. Identification of him is still in progress. This is possible that few more people might have received bullet injuries in the gunfight," Jharkhand Police spokesperson Amol V Homkar told PTI.

Arms and ammunition, pamphlets, handwritten notes, diary and Rs 1 lakh in cash were found at the spot, he said.

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A search operation by CRPF's CoBRA battalion, Jharkhand Jaguar and district police to nab Maoists is underway in the area since February 8.

"The operation is going on in the area for the last eight days and this was the seventh encounter. Bunkers and several materials have been found during the operation," Homkar said.

Last week, three jawans were critically injured in IED blasts in the area during the operation.

Locals claimed that extremist activities have increased in the region over the past few months.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)