Jamshedpur : The joint team of West Singhbhum district police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) arrested a hardcore Maoist ultra, wanted in several criminal Pradhan Hembram alias Dondo from Lobomeda under Jagannathpur Police Station of West Singhbhum district.
Acting on a tip off the team conducted raid and nabbed the dreaded criminal. A pistol and two live cartridges, three cell phones and a Maoist dairy have been recovered from the ultra.
The Naxal Bir Singh Hansda, a resident of Hatnaburu village under Gua police station and an active member of the Johnson squad of banned outfit CPI-Maoist, was also involved in the arson of six iron ore survey vehicles of Tata Steel in various regions of Saranda forests on November 26 2012 and a similar incident between Baliba and Hatnaburu
during which some vehicles and equipments of a private road construction company were set ablaze.
Deputy Superintendent of Police B N Singh said on the basis of the leads provided by the arrested naxalite joint team of police and paramilitary forces are raiding at different places in West Singhbhum to nab other Maoists too.
�We cannot reveal much due to security purpose. We are grilling him and are hopeful to come up with more links of the Maoist,� he noted.
The nabbed ultra was involved in the abduction and murder of one Chandra Mohan Kumhar, his wife and father from his own village in January 2008 and the kidnapping and murder of another couple in February that year.
Meanwhile, maintaining equal focus on the disturbed areas of the Ghatsila, Potka and Patamda blocks of the East Singhbhum, where Maoists influence is more than the police, the local establishment of the police has decided to provide adequate security there.
Maoists are known for their uncertain behaviour when it comes to violence and police cannot take a chance, at least, during festive season.
The police and paramilitary forces have started frisking commuters in the bordering areas.
At some places common people are also being interrogated by police and paramilitary force on suspicion. Forces have been deployed in strategic locations.
The district police have arrested a rural medical practitioner (RMP) suspected to be Maoist sympathiser from Patamda police station area last evening. The police are interrogating the arrested RMP to verify whether reports of his association with slain Kishan�s squad are true.
The RMP, identified as Parmeshwar Mahato, was nabbed while he was returning after diagnosing the injured Suchitra Mahato, the police said they are still enquiring into the reports as interrogation is on. Last evening, the CRPF personnel had nabbed Beltand resident Mahato, after chasing him to some distance.
Fearing repercussions, the district police have sounded an alert in the area following the killing of top Maoist Central Committee leader and head of the military commission Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji in a police encounter which took place at Kushboni in West Midnapore district. The state prison authorities have also put the jail administration across the state on high alert.
Sanjay Kumar Singh, commandant, 7th battalion, CRPF said that the security forces asked him to stop he attempted to flee away. Another person who was accompanying him on other vehicle opened indiscriminate firing on the personnel on duty.
Though no security personnel were injured in the firing however the unidentified assailant fled away taking advantage of the darkness and the police have increased vigil in the area following the incident. The senior paramilitary officer confirmed that following reports of Mahato�s involvement with Maoists they had been in his search for some time.
�He is a suspected element and we have reports that he is in connivance with the Maoists however, whether he diagnosed Suchitra Mahato is yet to be established interrogation is on. He is not speaking up,� said the commandant.
The district police also said that interrogation is on and wouldn�t conclude anything at this juncture. �Thus far, he hasn�t spoken much though interrogation is on. We are verifying that whether reports of his association with Kishan�s squad are true or not.Cannot conclude at this juncture,� said Akhilesh Jha, senior police superintendent, East Singhbhum.
The police have beefed up security in the naxal-infested areas of Ghatshila sub division consisting of areas like Dumaria, Musaboni, Chakulia, Bahragora and Ghatshila.
�Given that Kishanji�s loss is a huge setback to the Maoist cadres particularly in the Bengal Orissa and Jharkhand this is an ample opportunity for the security forces to intensify their attack on the rebels for a final assault,� said a senior state intelligence officer.
According to the police information about ten bordering police stations in the two districts are largely Maoist infested wherein the proposed operation would be carried out.
SSP Jha said that the police have also intensified the efforts for strengthening security arrangements especially on the routes used by Maoists to enter the naxal infested areas. �We have asked security forces to conduct long-range patrolling in the areas of Ghurabandha, Ghatshila and Patamda,� said SSP.
