Police arrested two Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ‘commanders’ and seized 72 can bombs and four rifles, as well as a pistol and other explosives, in four separate raids in Seraikela-Kharsawan, West Singhbhum, Khunti and Ranchi Districts of Jharkhand, reports The Telegraph on August 26. As per the report, the raids followed the arrests of Maoist ‘commanders’ – Jitrai Munda and Jogen Purty in Khunti District on August 23. They had during interrogation revealed the rebels’ plans to attack the Police and Paramilitary Forces in Kuchai in Seraikela-Kharsawan and Tamar in Ranchi District. The Seraikela-Kharsawan District Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammed Arshi said, the Maoists had laid can bombs in large numbers at Raisindri hill in Kuchai to inflict casualties to the Police and Paramilitary Forces during their anti-insurgency operations. He said that apart from the can bombs, the rebels had also kept rifles and ammunition hidden in Jharjhara hills at Tamar in Ranchi district for use against the Forces.
“Munda and Purty, whom the Khunti Police had arrested on August 23, had said during interrogation that Naxal leaders – Anal, Ashim, Amit Munda, Atul and Maharaja Pramanik are active in Seraikela-Kharsawan, West Singhbhum and Tamar in Ranchi district, where IEDs had been laid. The duo had also pointed out the places where the rebel leaders had kept rifles and ammunition hidden. On getting the information, a joint team of Khunti, Ranchi, West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan Police conducted extensive searches. By August 25 morning, we had found all the bombs and firearms the two rebels had spoken of,” said the SP. He further added that the Police had found seven can bombs weighing 5 kilograms each on a mud road at Meromjanga close to the Bandi hill in Kuchai and 65 can bombs weighing 4 kilograms each on a road along the Raisindri hill in Seraikela-Kharsawan District. The Police also recovered four rifles with 97 live cartridges and a pistol from Jharjhara hill in Tamar.