The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a wanted Naxalite carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh from Thane district, an official said on Saturday.
Sanjay Sarju Yadav (45), a resident of Devgaon village in Jharkhand’s Palamu district, was apprehended from the Thakurli area based on specific intelligence, the official said, PTI reported.
Wanted Naxalite was hiding in Thakurli
During preliminary interrogation, Yadav, a zonal committee member of a banned Naxalite organisation, revealed that he had been hiding in Thakurli for the past 10 days to evade law enforcement agencies.
Handed over to Jharkhand Police
The ATS handed Yadav over to the Jharkhand Police, who formally arrested him for further legal proceedings, the official added.
711 grenade launcher shells recovered during search operation in Bijapur forest
In a separate incident, security forces in Chhattisgarh recovered 711 Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL) shells from a forested area near KG Hills in Bijapur district on Thursday during an anti-Maoist operation.
The cache, suspected to have been hidden by Maoist cadres, was found approximately 1.5 kilometres northwest of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Tadapala.
Officials said that acting on specific intelligence inputs, a joint team comprising personnel from the Bijapur District Police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and a Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) unit launched a targeted search operation.
The operation was conducted in the dense forest stretches surrounding FOB Tadapala, which falls under the jurisdiction of Usur Police Station.
During the search, security personnel found the stockpile of BGL shells concealed in the forest near KG Hills. All 711 shells were recovered, secured and taken into official custody in accordance with established safety and explosive-handling protocols to prevent accidental detonation.
Officials described the recovery as a major setback to Maoist logistics in the region. BGL shells are used to launch grenades and can cause significant damage during ambushes and attacks on security camps, the news agency reported.
The operation involved coordinated efforts by state police and central forces, based on intelligence inputs.
Authorities have urged residents and visitors to avoid Karregutta and the surrounding hill areas for the time being, citing the possible presence of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and other unexploded ordnance left behind by Maoist cadres.
(With PTI inputs)
