Maoist killed in gunbattle with police in Jharkhand

Police have killed a Maoist in a gunbattle, arrested one and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunitions after combing operation in Jharkhand's Khunti District.

"Maoist identified as Ramesh Bahan has been killed in return firing. Another Maoist Lalmohan Bahan is arrested. Two countrymade guns of 12 mm bore, some rounds of bullets of 12 mm and essentials of the camp including blankets, ground sheets and other stuffs have been recovered from them. Two other Maoists have been reportedly injured in the encounter," said Anish Gupta, a police official.

Maoists are rebels who try to sink deep roots and form links after decades of neglect.

The rebels are rapidly expanding their insurgency and could move from remote rural areas to cities.

Equipped with automatic weapons, shoulder rocket launchers, mines and explosives, the Maoists want to cripple economic activity.

The Maoists, who say they are fighting for the rights of the poor and landless, control some of India's mineral-rich areas and operate in large swathes of the eastern, central and southern countryside.

The Maoists, also known as naxals, have killed police and politicians, and targeted government buildings and railway tracks in an insurgency that has killed thousands since the 1960s.

The rebels are estimated to number 7000 hardcore fighters in nearly a third of India's 630 districts.