Gumla: A zonal commander of the banned extremist outfit People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) and three of his associates were arrested in Jharkhand’s Gumla district, police said on Friday. Arms and other weapons were also recovered during the operation.
The arrests took place in the Kamdara police station area. The arrested leader, Vishram Kongadi, is believed to have been overseeing PLFI activities across Gumla, Khunti and Simdega districts.
According to police, a tip-off was received on Thursday night that PLFI cadres were planning a major criminal act in the Kamdara area. Acting on the information, a special team was formed and raids were conducted at identified locations, leading to the arrest of Kongadi and three associates.
Police records show that Kongadi’s influence spanned Gumla, Khunti and Simdega, where several cases have been registered against him. Officials have not yet disclosed the exact number or nature of these cases, nor provided details of the weapons seized.
Investigators are currently interrogating the arrested individuals to gather information about the outfit’s activities, its network and the operation they were allegedly preparing to carry out. The probe will also seek to identify their associates.
The arrests are being seen as a significant step in curbing PLFI activities in the region. As of now, Gumla police have not issued a detailed official statement on the operation or the arms recovered.
PLFI, a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), is a banned militant and criminal organisation operating mainly in Jharkhand.
-IANS