An year on, Gujarat anti-terrorist squad nabs Bihar’s ‘dead’ Maoist

Wanted in several cases of subversive acts including killing of 10 CRPF jawan in a landmine blast in the Aurangabad district, Bihar police had assumed that the maoist died during a fierce encounter between the CoBRA 205 battalion and the rebels at Nawada on April 8, 2017.

Gujarat police’s Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Friday arrested a hardcore Maoist of Bihar, who was the Bihar police assumed had died a year back in qan encounter, from Vapi in Valsad district of South Gujarat.

Four bodies of the Maoists were recovered from the encounter site in the interiors of Banskatwa, 200 km from Patna. (PTI file photo) (PTI  File Photo)

The arrested Maoist identified as Rajesh Ravidas alias Gopalji Prasad alias Uttam Ji, 33, was working as a labourer in a factory by hiding his identity. He is resident of village Bahorama under Nimchakbathani of Gaya district in Bihar.

Wanted in several cases of subversive acts including killing of 10 CRPF jawan in a landmine blast in the Aurangabad district, Bihar police had assumed that he had died during a fierce encounter between the CoBRA 205 battalion and the rebels at Nawada on April 8, 2017.

The operation in Thamkola village, forces then had claimed, had also left four Maoists dead while they assumed that Ravidas, who had fled with several bullet injuries, also died later.

According to Bihar police, Ravidas is the main associate of Bihar-Jharkhand (Magadh) special area committee in charge of CPI-Maosit, Pradyuman Sharma who is involved in more than 50 incidences of murders and extortion and who also carries a reward of Rs 50, 000 on his head.

ATS, SP, Himanshu Shukla said that the zonal commander of proscribed Maoist outfit was nabbed on a tip off. “He was working as security guard in Daman under the fake name, Gopal Prasad,” Shukla said, “We would hand him over to Bihar police, who were on way to take him back.”

After the fierce gun battle in which Ravidas was presumed killed, security forces had recovered one AK-47, one SLR and two Insas rifles from the four slain Maoists, whose bodies were recovered.

In 2018, Ravidas reached Daman where he working as security guard, later shifted to Vapi. He had joined Maoists group in 2002 as area commander of Magadh eastern zone and was allegedly involved in the IED blast of 2016 in Aurangabad in which 10 CRPF jawans were killed.

He is wanted in over 12 cases lodged with Koderma (Jharkahnd), Nawada, Gaya and Aurangabad districts.

BLURB

Wanted in many cases, including killing of 10 CRPF jawans in landmine blast in Aurangabad district, police had assumed he died during a fierce encounter between CoBRA battalion and the rebels on April 8, 2017