2 Maoists arrested from Muzaffarpur in Bihar

Confirming the arrest of the wanted Maoists, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Muzaffarpur, Jayant Kant said both were absconding for many years.

Sleuths of special task force (STF) of Bihar police arrested two hardcore members of proscribed outfit CPI (Maoist) from two different places under the Turki police outpost of the Kurhani police station in Muzaffarpur late on Thursday night, said officials.

The arrested Maoists had been identified as Basant Bhagat of Chhajan village and Gonaur Paswan of Dholi Ratan village in Muzaffarpur. (Representative Photo)

Both the arrested men are wanted in more than ten cases, registered with various police stations in Muzaffarpur and Vaishali districts. They are prime accused in the case of railway track explosion near Goraul railway station and an attack on a road construction company, engaged in widening of national highway 77, connecting Hajipur and Sitamarhi via Muzaffarpur.

Confirming the arrest, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Muzaffarpur, Jayant Kant said that both were absconding for many years. “We had some intelligence inputs about both of them returning to their native places in the villages under the Turki OP. The intelligence inputs were shared with the STF officials, who raided their native places and arrested them. They have been taken to the Kurhani police station and are being quizzed by various teams of district police along with STF and CID men,” said Kant.

He added that the arrested Maoists had been identified as Basant Bhagat of Chhajan village and Gonaur Paswan of Dholi Ratan village.

“Both were arrested in back to back raids within one hour. The raiding teams have recovered some incriminating documents, including hand bills and Maoist literature from their possession,” said the SSP.

However, a member of the investigating team said that Basant was in a mood to contest the panchayat elections. “He is planning to contest for the mukhiya post in the panchayat election this year. So, he has returned to his native place from Punjab, where he had taken shelter,” he said.