Dumka police on Sunday killed zonal commander-rank Maoist cadre Tala Da alias Shahdev Rai, who was wanted in several cases of murder and loot, including the killing of Pakur superintendent of police Amarjeet Balihar in July 2013. Police said that the killing took place around 7am.
“The killed Maoist carried a reward of ₹10 lakh on his head. The encounter between Maoists and police forces took place at Chatupada jungles under Shakaripada police station limits in Dumka district,” said additional director general (operations) RL Meena. This is the first major success of the state police in its anti-Maoist encounters in 2019. Around 20 Maoists were killed or arrested by the police in December 2018.
Till late on Sunday evening, police continued their search operations inside the forests. Superintendent of police YS Ramesh said that raid was conducted on the basis of a tip-off that the wanted Maoist and his squad were present in the jungles.
Police have seized one INSAS and one AK-47 rifle, along with 400 live and 50 burnt cartridges from the Maoists. “There were around 20 members in the Maoist squad; they managed to escape. We are conducting raids to arrest them,” said Ramesh.
In December 2018, the Jharkhand Police headquarters had sent a list of more than 340 Maoists, some of whom were also operating in the neighbouring states of Bihar and Chattisgarh, to the district superintendents of police for verification. An updated database of active Maoists would be prepared after verification, a senior police officer said.
{{/usCountry}}In December 2018, the Jharkhand Police headquarters had sent a list of more than 340 Maoists, some of whom were also operating in the neighbouring states of Bihar and Chattisgarh, to the district superintendents of police for verification. An updated database of active Maoists would be prepared after verification, a senior police officer said.
{{/usCountry}}On January 9, Ranchi police had arrested Kunwar Oraon alias Jaina, an area commander-rank cadre of the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a faction of CPI (Maoist). Two more cadres were arrested with him at Lapung, on the outskirts of the state capital.
On January 11, security forces busted a Maoist dump inside Piri forests in Latehar district. A large cache of arms, including 9kg of explosive powder, 30 hand grenades, 255 rounds of cartridges and material for assembling grenades, was recovered. A similar cache had been unearthed from Chhipadohar police station limits in Latehar on January 3, two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the neighbouring Palamu district.
Ranchi police have intensified their anti-Maoists operations in the zones of Bundu-Chandil, where Maoist cadres led by Boyda Pahan are active, and in Khelari-Keredara, where wanted Maoist Duryodhan Mahto operates, according to senior superintendent of police Anish Gupta. Jaina was arrested as part of the operations in the third zone of Lapung-Bero-Itki, he said.
On December 12, Palamu police had arrested Mukhdeo Yadav, a sub-zonal commander of CPI (Maoist),carrying a bounty of ₹5 lakh on his head. As per his confession, he was planning to expand Maoist activities in the region, said superintendent of police Indrajit Mahata.
On December 10, Ranchi police had arrested six PLFI members from Khelagaon, who had come to the capital to kill a businessman.
On December 4, four PLFI cadres Gulab Yadav, Ravi Yadav, Pawan Kumar Yadav, and Rakesh Paswan were arrested in Latehar, while wanted Maoist Jogeshwar Turi was arrested in Giridih.
Four members of Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad, a splinter group of CPI (Maoist), were arrested from Garhwa district the same day.
“We are continuing anti-Maoist activities with the same vigour. Continuous operations of raids, searches and arrests, along with efforts to bring Maoist cadres into the mainstream through the state’s surrender policy, are being conducted,” said ADG Meena.