Jamshedpur: Operation against Maoists in West Singhbhum district’s Saranda forest have led to the recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition, police said on Saturday.During the operation conducted in Rutugutu, Borai and Tunbera stretch of the forest between Wednesday and Friday, security forces also gunned down Maoist cadre Israel Murmu alias Amrit (23), who carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, during an exchange of fire on April 29.
“Apart from neutralising an active member of the Maoist squad, explosives and weapons have been recovered from the operation site,”said SP of West Singhbhum, Amit Renu.A self-loading rifle and carbine, SLR magazine, 182 rounds of live cartridges, several empty cartridges, four IEDs, 50 kg of detonators, a codex wire, Maoist uniforms and grocery items, among others, were seized, the SP added.A member of the outfit’s central technical committee (CTC) cadre, Amrit assisted top Maoist member Misir Besra’s subordinate Ajay Mahato in assembling rockets and making IEDs, besides arranging food and clothes for his superiors, the police said.After the recovery of Amrit’s body on April 30, a postmortem examination was conducted by a three-member team of doctors in the presence of the magistrate on Friday in accordance with protocols.The SP said that the operation under Tonto police limits concluded on Saturday. However, intelligence-based combing is underway at different places in the hilly forest.Police sources said that combing operation is going on at six different areas in the forest under Goilkera-Jarakela police station limits.“Maoist strength has swiftly reduced in Saranda and they are on the verge of collapse. Misir Besra and fellow squad members have to either surrender soon or face the bullet,” said a police officer.
