Latehar: Police in Jharkhand’s Latehar district have arrested a Maoist commander carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 along with two of his associates during a special anti-extremist operation, officials said on Wednesday.
The arrested Maoist 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. Security personnel recovered illegal weapons, ammunition, and documents related to extremist activities from them.
According to Superintendent of Police Kumar Gaurav, the operation was carried out following a specific intelligence input suggesting that Ganjhu and four to five armed Maoist cadres were hiding in the Pakrua forest near Banwar village under Bariatu police station limits. The group was allegedly planning a major criminal activity in the region.
Acting on the information, a special raiding team was formed, which launched a coordinated search and cordon operation in the forest area. During the operation, security forces managed to arrest three suspects, while other cadres reportedly fled taking advantage of darkness and dense forest cover.
SP Gaurav said that Ganjhu had been active in TSPC for several years and was involved in numerous incidents across Latehar and Chatra districts. Police records show that 21 criminal cases have been registered against him, including charges of extortion, levy collection, firing, arson, and other Naxal-related activities.
Police also revealed that Ganjhu used several aliases, including Prabhakar, Kaushal, Upendra, and Vikram, to evade arrest and extort money from contractors, traders, and infrastructure companies. He was reportedly active in several areas, including Balumath, Tandwa, Simaria, Lawalaung, Keredari, Khalari, and McCluskieganj.
Subhash Kumar is also facing a criminal case in Chatra district, while investigations are underway to determine the role of Ujjwal Kumar. Police are currently interrogating the accused to gather intelligence about other TSPC members, their hideouts, funding networks, and future plans.
With inputs from IANS