Police arrest Maoist commander of Bihar Regional Committee

RANCHI: In a major breakthrough, police arrested a Maoist commander of Bihar Regional Committee (BRC), Pradyuman Sharma alias Kundanji, while he
was travelling in a passenger train on Sunday.

Sharma, a hardcore Maoist operating in Gaya, Rohtas, Aurangabad districts of Bihar and Chatra, Latehar and Garhwa districts of Jharkhand, was earlier lodged in Gaya jail.

Sharma was travelling in Barkakana-Mughalsarai passenger train and had boarded the train at Dehri-on-Sone railway station on Sunday. Incidentally, it is the same train which was hijacked by the Maoists, with the support of villagers, in May.

The Latehar police had received information that Sharma had boarded the train which passes through Latehar district. The train was stopped just before Latehar railway station and each bogie of the train was searched by the CRPF and district police personnel.

Jharkhand police spokesperson and IG (provision) SN Pradhan said: “Sharma was likely to be promoted as Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee (BJSAC) member soon. Apart from Bihar, he was operating in Chatra, Latehar and Garhwa districts in Jharkhand.”

Sources said no arm was recovered from Sharma’s possession. He is being interrogated at the CRPF camp. Sharma kept changing his identity during interrogation, but later succumbed to the police pressure and gave some important information about the outfit.

Police claimed Sharma is one of the biggest catches in recent times and the information given by him would help them in anti-Naxal operations. TOI