Jamshedpur: Three wanted Maoists carrying a combined reward of Rs 22 lakh were arrested in a joint operation by Seraikela-Kharsawan police and CRPF on Tuesday, police sources said. The arrests followed coordinated raids at several locations based on specific intelligence inputs.The arrested Maoists were identified as Madan Mahato alias Shankar, who carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh, Ravi Sardar, who had a bounty of Rs 5 lakh, and Ravi’s wife Meena Pahariya, who carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh.Police said the three had more than 50 cases are registered against them at police stations in Jharkhand and West Bengal.Confirming the arrests, IG (operations) Narendra Kumar Singh said details of the operation would be shared at a press conference in Seraikela on Thursday.Sources said Ravi was arrested from Udaipur under Kandra police station limits, while Mahato and Meena were apprehended at Kandarbera, near Dalma forest, under Chandil police station limits. The operation was conducted under tight secrecy to prevent information from being leaked.Mahato was allegedly active in the Bengal-Jharkhand region, from Junglemahal to Dalma, and was involved in planning attacks and recruiting cadres. Ravi operated in Kolhan, while Meena allegedly provided logistical support for Maoist activities across the two states, sources said.Security forces recovered an AK-47 rifle, a pistol, ammunition, other weapons and documents allegedly linked to Maoist activities from the three. They are being interrogated for information about the outfit’s remaining network, arms caches and associates.The arrests come after the capture of top Maoist Misir Besra from the Dhanbad-Giridih border and the surrender of 16 Maoists on July 29.
