Hazaribagh police nabbed three JPC ultras after a fierce encounter in the Mohaniya forest area situated at the border of Hazaribagh and Chatra districts on Sunday late evening.
SP Bhimsen Tuti said in a press conference that on June 04, a contractor named Sanjay Upadhyay had given an application at lohsinghna TOP that JPC ultras have demanded 5 per cent levy of the total cost of the construction work of road he has taken. He gave some names and mobile numbers to the police and then police filed an FIR on his application.
After tracing the mobile police first arrested Belal alias Bablu of Simariya block of Chatra district. During interrogation he informed that a squad of JPC ultras is present in the Mohaniya forest area situated at the border of Hazaribagh and Chatra districts. On this information a team of police officials and jawans of lohsinghna, Pelawal, Katkamsandi and Katkamdag police stations was formed and they departed towards the forest area with jawans of STF.
In the evening when the team entered into the forest the JPC ultras opened fire on the team members. Police team immediately came into action and retaliated their attack. We used 19 rounds of firing while the ultras about 50 rounds. Finally the ultras left the place. We captured 10 persons from the forest area and after proper investigation released 7 who were innocent villagers.
The police finally arrested Belal alias Bablu, Satish Kumar Pandit of Gauriyakarma, Barhi, and Anand Manoj of Simariya who are active members of JPC North Chotanagpur range unit. All the arrested ultras were sent to jail on Monday evening as per court orders.
Tuti informed that on Monday morning we searched the entire forest area from where we have seized one country made carbine, one country made pistol of 303 bore, 177 live cartridges, three live magazines, 8 mobiles, Rs 62250 cash, naxal literature, bags and other items.