After successful arrest of Maoist Shyam Pahan from Yamunanagar in Haryana on Sunday, Khunti Police now eye top Maoist Kundan Pahan as its next target. Khunti SP Ashwini Kumar said that half of the mission was accomplished with arrest of Kundan Pahan’s brother Shyam Pahan, now Kundan could not remain out of their reach for a long time.

“First it was Dimba, now its Shyam….the next target definitely is Kundan,” said Kumar. He said that primary motive of police was to arrest Shyam Pahan, which has been achieved. 

“We could have sent a team to Yamunanagar to arrest Shyam Pahan, but there were chances that he might have dodged us again and could have fled away as he had already been preparing to leave the place, but did not succeed because the gate of the poultry farm was locked,” said the SP.

Meanwhile, efforts made by Khunti Police to bring Shyam back to Jharkhand seem to have failed as Haryana Police filed a petition at a local court in Yamunanagar seeking 12 day remand for him to check whether he had any Naxal link in Haryana also.

“A team has already gone to Yamunagar to bring him here, but the Haryana police itself has filed a petition in the local court seeking a remand of 12 days for him for interrogation,” said the SP. The police team however, are lining up with the officials to see whether something could be done in this regard or not, said the SP.

The Khunti SP said that it hardly makes any difference whether he remains in jail here or in Haryana as their primary intention was to put him behind bars, which has already been achieved.

Acting on a tip off that Shyam Pahan had been hiding somewhere in Yamunanagar under Bilaspur Police Station and has been running a poultry farm, Khunti SP immediately his counterpart there and provided all details about him including his photograph to them. 

“Reacting on the information given by Khunti Police, Bilaspur police team led by SHO Naveen raided the poultry farm and nabbed Pahan early in the morning at 6 am. A country-made pistol was also recovered from him,” said the SP.

The SP further added that Shyam Pahan, who has been booked in more than 36 cases of murder and robbery among others, had been working at the poultry farm at Khidta Khas village in Bilaspur, he said.

Shyam Pahan alias Motu hails from Barigadha village of Khunti and had been hiding as a poultry farm worker in Yamuna Nagar for the last two years with a fake identity. He was living there as Mahadeo along with his wife Sukramani Devi, son Durga Pahan, daughter Pramila. His sister in law Parwati and her son in law however, were also staying there for the last eight years.

Shyam was carrying a reward of ` 5 lakh on his head.