Maoist Commander Arrested, Large Cache of Arms Seized in Jharkhand’s Chatra

Chatra  — Jharkhand Police have arrested a senior Maoist commander and recovered a significant cache of ammunition from a forest area in Chatra district, officials said on Tuesday.

Arjun Ganjhu, a top leader of the banned Maoist group Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), was apprehended during a raid in Tikda village under the jurisdiction of Lawalong police station.

Acting on a tip-off about his movements, a special police team led by Simaria SDPO Shubham Khandelwal conducted the operation and arrested the militant.

Chatra Superintendent of Police Sumit Agrawal, speaking at a press conference, stated that a country-made pistol was recovered from Ganjhu at the time of his arrest.

Following interrogation, Ganjhu revealed the location of a concealed arms cache in a nearby forest. Police subsequently recovered 723 live cartridges hidden underground in a box.

The recovered ammunition included 477 rounds for INSAS rifles and 246 rounds of .303 caliber cartridges, indicating preparations for potential attacks or supply to other Maoist cadres in the region.

SP Agrawal said this recovery is a significant setback to the operational capabilities of the TSPC in the area.

Ganjhu is a repeat offender and had previously been imprisoned for his involvement in Maoist activities.

In a separate operation, Lohardaga Police arrested another wanted Maoist, Lalind Mahato alias Rajkumar Yadav, who had been evading arrest for several years.

Lalind, a resident of Semardih village under Kisko police limits, has multiple cases registered against him in Lohardaga, Latehar, and other Jharkhand districts.

Lohardaga SP Sadique Anwar Rizvi said Lalind was associated with the squad led by Ravindra Ganjhu, a zonal commander of the CPI (Maoist), who has a Rs 15 lakh bounty on his head.

Police believe Lalind’s arrest could provide valuable intelligence regarding Maoist operations and logistics in the region.

Following his court appearance, arrangements are underway to send him to judicial custody.

With inpust from IANS