New Delhi/ Raipur: A Maoist commander carrying a Rs 1 crore bounty on his head was among 20 ultras killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district on Monday night with Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling the operation a "major success".

Jayaram Reddy, a senior Maoist leader also known as Chalapati, was killed in the exchange of fire that took place in a forest along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border.

A joint team of security personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CoBRA from Chhattisgarh and Special Operation Group (SOG) from Odisha were involved in the operation.

The operation was launched based on intelligence about the presence of Maoists in the Kularighat reserve forest of Chhattisgarh, just five kilometres from the border of Odisha's Nuapada district. A large cache of firearms, ammunition and IEDs, including a self-loading rifle, were recovered from the encounter site, an official said. A massive search operation is underway in the area. Meanwhile, Amit Shah, who has vowed to eradicate Maoists by March 2026, called the encounter "another mighty blow to Naxalism". "Our security forces achieved major success towards building a Naxal-free Bharat. The CRPF, SoG Odisha, and Chhattisgarh Police neutralised 14 Naxalites in a joint operation along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border," he posted on X.

“With our resolve for a Naxal-free India and the joint efforts of our security forces, Naxalism is breathing its last today,” Shah added. About 40 Maoists have so far been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh this year.

Chalapati, Chittoor resident

Chalapati, who was a resident of Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor, was a senior member of the central committee of the Maoists, which is the highest decision-making body within the group. He was known for his activities in the dense forests of Abujhmad in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar.

Aged around 60, he relocated his base a few months ago due to the increasing frequency of encounters in the Abujhmad area and shifted near the Odisha border, seeking a safer operational zone, sources said.

Chalapati played a key role in strategizing and leading operations for the Maoists. His security detail consisted of 8 to 10 personal guards.

Chalapati, who carried a reward of Rs 1 crore for information leading to his capture, was considered a high-value target by security forces.