Ranchi: Misir Besra, a Politburo member of the CPI (Maoist) and one of the country’s most wanted Maoist leaders carrying a reward of Rs 1 crore, has been arrested along with two of his close associates in a major breakthrough for security forces engaged in anti-Maoist operations.
Security agencies have described the arrest as one of the most significant successes in the ongoing campaign against Maoist insurgency in Jharkhand.
According to official sources, Misir Besra was apprehended late on Tuesday night during a joint operation conducted by the Jharkhand Police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the CoBRA battalion in the border region of Dhanbad and Giridih districts.
The operation was launched following specific intelligence inputs regarding his movements.
Along with Besra, security personnel also arrested Mehnat, also known as Mochhu and Vibhishan Murmu, and Gaurav, alias Saurabh, both of whom are Regional Committee members of the CPI (Maoist). Each of the two leaders carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh.
In addition to the three Maoist leaders, two other individuals were detained during the operation and are currently being interrogated by security agencies to ascertain their role and possible links with the organisation.
The arrests came shortly after 16 Maoist cadres surrendered before authorities in Ranchi on Tuesday. Among those who laid down arms was Devan Murmu, alias Shanicharva, who had served as a close bodyguard of Misir Besra.
According to security officials, crucial intelligence regarding Besra’s movements and possible hideouts was obtained from the surrendered cadre.
Acting on the information, security forces planned the operation, laid a trap and successfully apprehended the senior Maoist leader.
Misir Besra, who is also known by aliases including Bhaskar, Sunirmal and Sagar, is a native of the Pirtand area in Jharkhand’s Giridih district. He joined the Maoist movement nearly four decades ago and gradually rose through the ranks to become a member of the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the CPI (Maoist).
More than 150 criminal cases have reportedly been registered against him in Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The cases include allegations of murder, attacks on security personnel, improvised explosive device (IED) blasts, extortion and illegal levy collection.
Misir Besra had earlier been arrested by the Khunti Police in 2007. However, he managed to escape from police custody in 2009 after Maoists launched an attack on the Lakhisarai court complex in Bihar, facilitating his escape.
Since then, he had remained among the most wanted Maoist leaders in the country, with security agencies pursuing him for nearly two decades.
Officials believe his arrest is a major setback for the Maoist organisation’s leadership structure in Jharkhand, particularly at a time when the outfit has already suffered a series of encounters, arrests and surrenders over the past several months.
Misir Besra and his associates are currently being interrogated by central and state security agencies at an undisclosed location.
Investigators are hoping to gather crucial information about the Maoist organisation’s active network, arms caches, sources of funding, operational strategies and key associates.
(IANS)
