The Jharkhand Police while conducting search operation in the Saranda jungle on the Odisha border on Friday arrested dreaded Maoist Pradhan Hembram alias Pradhanji (30), who was involved in a number of heinous crimes in Odisha and Jharkhand.
The police also recovered a country-made rifle, two live bullets and three mobile sets from Pradhanji’s possession. Chainbasa SP Narendra Singh told the media that Pradhanji was arrested from the forest, two km from Odisha.
The Maoist was involved in the murder of a Jharkhand-based contractor, the blasting at the Roxy railway station in Sundargarh and the killing of nine villagers under the K Bolanga police limits of Rourkela. He was also involved in the murder of Manoharpur Sarpanch Jayapal Murty last year, added Singh.
As he was involved in various cases under the Rourkela police district, sources said, the Rourkela police may take Pradhanji on remand.
Notably, another dreaded Maoist Sunil Hongada (50), who was involved in several violent activities for last four years in the Sundargarh- Deogarh-Sambalpur (SDS) zone, had recently surrendered before Singh along with a rifle and two bullets.