3 PLFI rebels gunned down in encounter on Odisha-Jharkhand border

Rourkela: At least three members of People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) were gunned down and two other injured in an exchange of fire between security personnel and rebels at Kulatapu forest near here on Odisha-Jharkhand border on Sunday.

The gun battle took place during a combing operation carried out by the joint team of Jharkhand police and CRPF, Simdega (Jharkhand) SP Rajiv Ranjan told OTV over phone.

Arms including an LNG rifle, AK-47 and a Carbine gun have been seized during the operation, he added.
The injured include Dinesh Gope, chief of the outlawed outfit and one of his associates. However, they managed to give a slip to the security officials. Further operation is on to nab them, the SP said.

Sources said the outlawed organisation has unleashed terror in the areas bordering Jharkhand. The group is also involved in over 30 criminal cases in Odisha.