Latehar (Jharkhand), Feb 11 (IANS) A Maoist commander carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head was arrested along with two associates during a special operation in Jharkhand’s Latehar district, police said on Wednesday.
The arrested commander has been identified as Adesh Ganjhu, an active member of the banned Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC). His associates, Ujjwal Kumar and Subhash Kumar, were also taken into custody.
Police recovered illegal firearms, ammunition and documents related to extremist activities from their possession.
According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Kumar Gaurav, the operation was launched following a specific tip-off that Ganjhu and four to five armed cadres were hiding in the Pakrua forest near Banwar village under the Bariatu police station limits. The group was allegedly planning a major criminal act in the region.
Taking the input seriously, the SP constituted a special raiding team, which launched a well-coordinated search and cordon operation in the forested area.
During the operation, security personnel managed to apprehend three of the accused. However, some other cadres reportedly escaped under the cover of darkness and dense forest terrain.
Addressing a press conference, SP Gaurav said Ganjhu had been active in TSPC for several years and was involved in multiple incidents across Latehar and Chatra districts. As many as 21 cases have been registered against him, including charges of levy collection, extortion, firing, arson and other Naxalite-related activities.
Police said Ganjhu operated under several aliases — including Prabhakar, Kaushal, Upendra and Vikram — to evade arrest and extort money from contractors, traders and infrastructure project operators. He was reportedly active in Balumath, Tandwa, Simaria, Lawalaung, Keredari, Khalari and McCluskieganj areas.
Subhash Kumar is also facing a case in Chatra district, while the role of Ujjwal Kumar is being further investigated.
Police officials said sustained interrogation of the arrested accused is underway to gather intelligence about other members of the TSPC network, their hideouts, funding channels and future plans.
–IANS
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