A Maoist leader with a ₹50,000 reward on his head was killed in a police encounter in Bihar's Begusarai district. The deceased is Dayanand Malakar, secretary of the north-Bihar Central Zonal Committee of the banned CPI-Maoist. Two of his associates were arrested. The Special Task Force (STF) of Bihar Police said, "Malakar alias Chotu, a Naxal who was wanted by the police in more than 14 criminal cases, died following an encounter with a joint team of STF and district police in the Teghra area of Begusarai on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) evening." According to the STF, police acted on a tip-off and reached the spot where Malakar was hiding with his associates. Malakar attempted to escape and fired at the police. Responding in self-defence, security personnel injured him. He was rushed to the nearest government hospital but was declared dead. No security personnel were hurt. Police recovered one 5.56 MM INSAS rifle, a country-made pistol, 25 live cartridges, and 15 spent cartridges from the site. The statement added, "Malakar, carrying a bounty of ₹50,000 on his head, ...was involved in several Naxalite operations... in north-Bihar."