A top commander of the banned People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), Martin Karketta, was killed in an encounter with security forces on Tuesday morning in the Changabadi Upartoli area, under Kamdara Police Station limits in Jharkhand’s Gumla district.
Karketta carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh on his head and had emerged as a central figure in PLFI’s hierarchy after the arrest of its former chief, Dinesh Gope.
Gumla SP Haris Bin Zaman said the encounter took place between 8 am and 9 am, following credible intelligence inputs that Karketta was camping in the area with his squad. A joint operation was launched under the supervision of the local SDPO with support from Kamdara police and other district and special units.
“As the team reached the location and confirmed the presence of the squad, Karketta’s men opened fire. Our forces retaliated, and during the exchange, Martin Karketta was neutralised,” Zaman told The Indian Express. A pistol was recovered from the site.
Zaman added that three to four of Karketta’s associates managed to flee the area during the encounter, firing at the security forces as they escaped.
According to officials, Karketta had previously served as a PLFI zonal commander and rose to the top after Gope’s arrest. “His killing is being seen as a major success in Jharkhand’s ongoing anti-Naxal operations,” Zaman said.
Karketta hailed from Redma village in Gumla’s Kamdara area and was a childhood friend of Dinesh Gope. The two had studied together in Mahugao, Lapung, and later went on to expand the PLFI, leading several major operations under its banner.
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Gope, who carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh, was arrested earlier this year in Nepal in a joint operation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Jharkhand Police. Following his arrest, Karketta took over PLFI’s operations.
As de facto leader, Karketta expanded the outfit’s network beyond Jharkhand, setting up committees in Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh. Under his leadership, the PLFI continued to collect levies from coal traders, contractors, and local businesses, and was involved in multiple criminal activities, police claimed in a release.
Officials said the outfit’s operational command had remained with Karketta until his death. Combing operations in the region are currently underway.
