A woman activist of CPI (Maoist) carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh has been arrested by the Giridih police from Asarfi hospital in Dhanbad on Tuesday morning. The arrested Maoist activist has been identified as one, Jaya Manjhi. She is said to be the wife of the dreaded Maoists commander, Prayag Manjhi alias Vivek, who carries a reward of Rs. 1 crore.

Jaya was arrested when she was undergoing medical treatment for cancer at Asarfi hospital. She is wanted in over a dozen Maoists related occurrences in Giridih and adjacent areas.

“Although, she is wanted in over a dozen cases, but now she has been arrested for her alleged involvement in Madhuban police station case number - 01/2019, in which the armed ultras, comprising Jaya and her husband, Prayag Manjhi, had attacked on security forces during anti-Maoist operations across the Parashnath terrains in 2019,”  a police officer said.

On being contacted, the Giridih SP, Deepak Kumar Sharma, confirmed Jaya’s arrest from Dhanbad and said that she was forwarded jail after formal judicial and medical examinations in Giridih.

The district police had information regarding the woman naxal’s presence at Asarfi Hospital in Dhanbad and their treatment for cancer.

On the evening of January 10, 2019, the then, Giridih Superintendent of Police, Surendra Kumar Jha, had a tip off that the armed squad of CPI (Maoists), comprising Ajay Mahto, Nunuchand Mahto, Krishna Manjhi, Prashant Manjhi, Ram Dayal Mahto, Ranvijay Mahto, Chanchal, Saheb Ram Manjhi, Kati Manjhi, Jaya Manjhi, Prayag Manjhi along with over a dozen others were wandering across the dense forest areas of Chhachhando, Badwara and Mohanpur under Pirtand and Madhuban PS areas of the district. The department also learnt that these Maoists activists were looking for violent attacks in their protests against the state and union government’s development plan and schemes. And hence, taking a serious note of the possible incident, Jha constituted a team of security forces, comprising state police and CRPF personnel, led by the then ASP (Operation), Deepak Kumar, and pressed them across the suspected locations.

During the hours –long search operation that was launched by late evening continued till next morning. Meanwhile, the armed ultras that had already smelled the presence of security personnel around them started incessant firing over the security forces during the wee-hours. Later on, taking the privilege of dense forest and darkness, they fled from the spot.

However, an FIR bearing number 01/2019 was lodged at Madhuban Police Station on January 1, 2019 in this connection.