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. Superintendent of Police Balrampur GS Darro said that police got information about a few Maoists in the jungles of lahsunpat. A team was immediately sent to the spot. After police party reached, Maoists opened fire on them and alerted jawans retaliated and 11 Naxals were held, a few managed to escape though. Six 315 bore rifle, one 315 bore country-made pistol, detonators, backpacks, solar plates and wire were seized.
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 .
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. Notably, in past few years Balrampur region has not seen Maoist activity and police are seeing these arrest as big success.