Jharkhand: TSPC sub-zonal commander along with four others held in Chatra

The Jharkhand police, in another operation launched against the left-wing insurgents in the State, arrested as many as five active cadres of the banned outfit Tritiye Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), a splinter group of the proscribed CPI Maoist, informed police on Sunday, January 07.

According to the reports, the police team arrested on  January 6, 2024, TSPC sub zonal commander Aadesh Ganjhu alias Prabhakar Ganjhu along with four other associates from the Tandwa police station limits. Two of the other arrested cadres have been identified as Upendra and Rajesh Ganjhu. It’s been learned that a number of cases against the accused, Prabhakar Ganjhu have already been pending.

The police team, during the arrest of the accused, also seized arms and ammunition from his possession. The seizure includes a 315 bore rifle, 02 country made pistols and an air pistol. The security personnel also recovered live cartridges, Maoist pamphlets and other materials from the nabbed accused.

The arrested sub-zonal commander of the TSPC was indulged in threating coal businessmen, arson, loot and levy extortion, informed the police further.

Back-to-back operations

It is worth mentioning here that, off late, the Jharkhand police have been launching continuous operations against the Left Wing Extremists (LWE) in the State with an aim to further damage the already shaken organisational structure of the insurgents.

In their resolve, the police, along with the security personnel, have been launching operations to nab or neutralise the insurgents, exerting pressure on them to surrender before the forces.

Earlier, in a similar development, the Jharkhand police had also arrested a seasoned Maoist of the banned TSPC in an operation launched under the insurgency-hit Piparwar police station limits of Chatra district on December 29 last year. The said commander was identified as Jaymangal, the area commander of the outlawed TSPC.

According to the information received, the police team also recovered a USA-made pistol, a country carbine, and a country-made pistol—a total of 25 pieces of letter letterhead of the outlawed outfit—alongside arresting another acquaintance of Jaymangal.

Jaymangal was said to be involved in similar activities of arson, threatening businessmen and couriers, and firing on the security forces.

Earlier, in another such operation launched by the Latehar police, as many as three active members of the notorious Pappu Lohra gang of the outlawed Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP), another splinter group of the CPI Maoist, were also apprehended.

According to the details, the operation was launched after the Latehar Superintendent of Police (SP) got some secret information about the presence of the JJMP cadres, following which the police team nabbed the accused.

The arrested accused were later identified as Suraj Lohra alias Sarvnash ji, Anil Lohra, and Kamleshwar alias Guruji. The police team also seized a pistol, as well as two walkie-talkies, a router, and uniforms from the possession of the accused.

Extortion by the extremists

It is to be noted that extortion through various illegal means is considered to be the prime source of Maoist’s income in the insurgency-hit Kolhan region of the mineral-rich State, where coal and other businessmen have been harassed by the extremists for hefty amount as illegal extortion for a long.

Though the persistent efforts of the security forces in the past few years have led to some relief of the businessmen class in the erstwhile Maoist bastion, where the latter are now more open to reporting any such incidents of threats and demands of levy extortion to the police, resulting in the arrest of the extremists.