An area commander of the banned Maoist splinter group, People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), carrying a bounty of ₹15 lakh on his head, was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand’s Gumla district, police said on Wednesday.

The gunfight between PLFI members and security forces broke out around 9.30 pm on Tuesday in the Changabadi Upartoli area under the Kamdara Police Station limits when forces were carrying out a search operation, a senior officer said.

“As security forces reached Changabadi Upartoli, Maoists started firing at them. Security personnel also retaliated, in which PLFI area commander Martin Kerketta was killed. A weapon was also recovered from his possession,” Gumla superintendent of police (SP) Haris Bin Zaman told PTI.

The Gumla SP said he had received a tip-off about the presence of some Maoists in the area, and accordingly, a special team was set up to carry out the operation.

The search operation is still going on, the SP added.