Three Maoists with Rs 22 lakh bounty arrested in Jharkhand’s Seraikela, arms recovered

Seraikela (Jharkhand), Aug 5 (IANS) Three Maoists carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 22 lakh were arrested during an anti-Naxal operation conducted by police and security forces in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharsawan district, officials said on Wednesday.

The arrested Maoists have been identified as Madan Mahato, who carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh, Ravi Sardar, carrying a bounty of Rs 5 lakh, and his wife Meena, on whom a reward of Rs 2 lakh had been announced.

Police recovered an AK-47 assault rifle, a pistol, live cartridges and other materials linked to Maoist activities from their possession.

These three were wanted in several criminal cases registered in police stations across Seraikela-Kharsawan and adjoining districts.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, security forces launched a special operation and cordoned off suspected hideouts, leading to their arrest. A subsequent search operation resulted in the seizure of sophisticated weapons and other incriminating materials.

Police officials said the Jharkhand government had announced a reward of Rs 15 lakh on Madan Mahato, who had long posed a major challenge to security agencies and was allegedly involved in several Maoist operations.

Ravi Sardar carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh, while his wife Meena had a bounty of Rs 2 lakh. According to police, both were actively associated with the Maoist organisation.

The arrested Maoists are being interrogated. Investigators expect to gather crucial information about the outfit’s network, arms supply channels, other active extremists and Maoist incidents reported in recent years.

Further operations will be conducted based on the inputs obtained during the questioning, police said.

Security forces have been carrying out sustained operations to curb Maoist activities in the Kolhan region. In recent months, several Maoists have surrendered, while a number of extremists, including Maoist leader Misir Besra, who carried a reward of Rs 1 crore, have also been arrested.

–IANS

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