Following a brief encounter with a group of Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) cadres on Monday, latehar Police recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunitions including AK-47 and INSAS Rifles from them. Two armed cadres have also been arrested during the gun battle.
“An encounter took place between 11 battalion of CRPF and TPC cadres for over half an hour near Kasmar village under Herhanj Police Station today during which huge cache of arms has been recovered including 1 AK-47, 1 INSAS, 2 303 and 1 3.15 bore Rifles along with 650 bullets have been recovered from the spot,” said latehar SP Anoop Birthare. Three mobile phones and Rs16000 in cash has also been recovered, he said.
“We have also arrested two armed cadres of TPC who are being interrogated,” said the SP. The information gathered from them may further lead to the arresting of more cadres, he added. Birtharey said the security forces fought a gun battle with the TPC cadres at Kasmar under Herhunj police station. “TPC cadres just lost their ground and fled leaving behind five of their weapons,” the SP said.
Search operation to trace out the TPC cadres was still on till late in the evening while the report was being filed.
Meanwhile in Dumka, a hardcore Maoist Devilal Marandi, allegedly involved in the killing of police personnel including a superintendent of Police, was arrested from his home at Haldipahari on Sunday.
Acting on a tip-off that Marandi alias Joseph Marandi was visiting his home, security personnel led by Additional Superintendent of Police (Operations) Emaneul Baski raided the village and arrested him, said Dumka SP Prabhat Kumar.
Marandi according to police was involved in several criminal cases, including killing of Pakur Superintendent of Police Amarjeet Balihar in an ambush under Shikaripara police station in 2013 and the officer-in-incharge of Shikaripara police station Sadanand Singh in September 2010 under the same police station, he said.
A case was also pending against him in Pakur district in connection with Simaldhav encounter in 2013, the SP said. Marandi was an active member of Santal Paragana North sub-zone of CPI (Maoists).