Indian Forces Report One CPI (Maoist) Special Area Committee Member Taken Into Custody In Giridih District

Jharkhand State Police (JSP) have taken Ajay Mahto, a Special Area Committee (SAC) Member of the CPI (Maoist), into custody in Giridih district, a police official announced to the press today.  According to the police official’s report, Ajay Mahto aka Tiger aka Basudev, was arrested from Harladih village, under Pirtand police station limits in the district.

Acting on intelligence inputs concerning the presence of Maoists in the area, a special team of security personnel was constituted under the direction of Giridih SP Dr Bimal Kumar and a raid was conducted at the house of Karmu Manjhi in Harladih. During the raid, the joint team of Jharkhand State Police and CRPF apprehended Mahto, who was present inside the house. This was declared by the police official in his report to the press.

According to the police official, Ajay Mahto has served as a Special Area Committee Member of the CPI (Maoist) and as the Zonal Commander for the Parasnath area, and that Mahto is purportedly a close associate of top Maoist leader Misir Besra.

As per the police official’s statement, two other persons believed to be Maoists who were present in the house with Mahto, were taken into custody by security personnel during the operation, adding that the special police team is currently interrogating all three alleged Maoists.

The police official stated in his remarks to the press that as many as 240 cases are registered against Mahto, and that Mahto is believed to have masterminded several major incidents across the bordering areas of Giridih, Bokaro, Dhanbad and Hazaribagh districts. He added that apart from Jharkhand, police from the states of Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha had also been searching for Mahto for a long time; and that the Giridih Deputy Commissioner has already recommended the prosecution of Ajay Mahto and 11 other alleged Maoists on charges of sedition and under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

In conclusion, the police official stated that security arrangements in the district have been tightened following the arrests of the alleged Maoists.