The Sonbhadra police gunned down a sub-zonal commander of Naxals on Monday. Kamlesh Chaudhary carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head from the Uttar Pradesh government and Rs 50,000 from the Bihar government.

Hailing from Bihar’s Rohtas district, Chaudhary had been active for about two decades and had 21 cases against him there. Besides, 16 cases in Sonbhadra are pending against him. The Sonbhadra police are collecting details of cases against him in Jharkhand.

Preetinder Singh, the Superintendent of Police in Sonbhadra, said Chaudhary used to operate with another Naxal, Munna Vishwakarma, and was active in Jharkhand, Bihar and areas bordering UP.

Singh, who had led the operation, said: “Following a tip-off about the movement of Naxals, the Special Operation Group, along with the personnel of Provincial Armed Constabulary, had been combing the thickets of Kanach village in Chopan around 2.15 pm. An exchange of fire took place as we came across a gang of Naxals.”

VM Singh Yadav, Inspector, SOG, and sub-inspector Akhulesh Singh suffered pellet injuries in the encounter, Singh said. The firing continued till 4 pm, when the

Naxals managed to escape through the thickets.

Later, the police found Chaudhary's body. A .303 bore rifle, a single-barrel gun and a .32 bore revolver, cartridges and Naxal literature were found from the spot.

Chaudhary, said Singh, had been leading Naxal activities as sub-zonal commander in Sonbhadra, but shifted his base to Rohtas in 1997. He was wanted there for several murders, including those of a sub-inspector and a constable.

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