Ranchi, Mar 11 (IANS): At least 15 Maoist guerrillas have been killed and 59 arrested by the security forces in Jharkhand so far this year, an official said on Monday.

"A large scale operation has been launched to hold free and fair elections in the state. The Jharkhand Police, along with the central paramilitary forces, have launched a special drive in the state.

"In the last two months, 18 encounters have taken place between the security forces and the Maoists in which 15 Maoist guerrillas have been killed and 59 have been arrested," L. Khiyante, Chief Electoral Officer of Jharkhand, told reporters.

He said: "To ensure safety and security during the Lok Sabha elections, the operation against the Maoists and the criminals will continue in cooperation with the bordering states."

"In the last two months, the state police and the paramilitary forces have recovered 14 regular rifles, including SLRs, 40 country made weapons, 3,447 live cartridges, 151 landmines/IEDs, 942.5 kg explosives, 4,800 gelatin sticks, 5,238 detonators and Rs 2.88 lakh in cash," Khiyante said.

He also informed that from February 1, 8,926 pending warrants have been disposed off.