In a major success, police managed to round up eleven hardcore Naxals, including four women cadre, following a gun-battle in a forested patch of Shankargarh police station in Balrampur district.
The arrested ultras are members of the banned Maoist outfit People’s liberation Front of India (PlFI), said Additional Director General of Police (Naxal Operations) RK Viz on Saturday.
Superintendent of Police Balrampur GS Darro said that police on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday got information about presence of few Maoists in the jungles of lahsunpat under the limits of Shankargarh police station.
A police team was immediately sent to the spot, SP told The Pioneer over phone. After police party reached at the spot in the jungles where they had inputs about presence of Naxals, Maoists opened fire on them and alerted jawans retaliated.
The intermittent gun fire lasted about an hour after which Naxals disappeared in dense jungle taking advantage of darkness, SP said. Police further informed that following the exchange of fire police force conducted a thorough search of that area wherein 11 Naxals were held.
The Naxals who managed to escape from the spot include Bhokha Prajapati, resident of Shankargarh police station who carried cash reward of `5,000 on his arrest, police claimed.
The arrested persons were identified as Shettal Ram, Phool Sai, Kunwar Sai, Baldev, Tarsen, Moti Nageshiya, lalita Nageshiya, Vinita Kumhar, lakshmi, Rekha and other Naxal Prajapati.
Six 315 bore rifle, one 315 bore country made pistol, detonators, backpacks, solar plates and wire were seized from their possession, police maintained. Notably, in past few years Balrampur region has not seen Maoist activity and police are seeing these arrest as big success.