A Maoist top gun carrying a Rs 20-lakh bounty escaped a police dragnet on Friday in Jharkhand’s Gumla district, a top official said, the third time in a month the rebel commander has managed to evade security forces.
The escape by the commander, known among his followers as Arvindji, comes in the midst of an all-out offensive by security forces against Maoist outfits and splinter groups active in the state.
Gumla additional superintendent of police (operations) Pawan Singh confirmed that the commander was among several rebels who managed to flee after a six-hour-long encounter in the Luru-Satri forests on the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh border, around 120 km west of Ranchi.
“We killed at least five rebels in the encounter. One body has been recovered while the others were taken away by the rebels,” Singh added.
Born Deo Kumar Singh, Arvindji is said to be in his fifties and is a native of Jehanabad district of Bihar. Police said he has post-graduate degree from Patna university and is a central committee member of the biggest Maoist outfit, CPI-Maoists.
Police sources said he first escaped on February 21 after an encounter in the same district. Later on February 24, his group was engaged in yet another shoot-out with police at Sanai-Tangar, also in Gumla.
{{/usCountry}}Police sources said he first escaped on February 21 after an encounter in the same district. Later on February 24, his group was engaged in yet another shoot-out with police at Sanai-Tangar, also in Gumla.
{{/usCountry}}“The police have intensified operations to hunt down the Maoist leader,” said Singh adding that one automatic rifle, 150 live rounds, walkie-talkies and a grenade was recovered from Friday’s encounter spot.
In a related development, CRPF personnel recovered a huge cache of arms from Mahutand area in Latehar. The recovery included an AK-47 rifle, four grenades and 111 rounds of assault rifle. Police also defused a 20-kg can bomb in Palamu and improvised explosive devices in Lohardaga district.
Security forces have also recovered explosives and live cartridges in Jhumra and surrounding areas of Gomia block of Bokaro district over the past three days.