Two Maoists Arrested With 40kg Of Explosives, Tactical Bulletproof Gear, And Weapons In Bihar

Patna: The Bihar Police arrested two alleged Maoists belonging to the People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) from Nawada district on Saturday and recovered over 40kg of explosives and other weapons from them. They were also carrying tactical gear, including a bulletproof plate and a bulletproof headgear.

The arrested persons have been identified as Dayanand Rajvanshi alias Gurjar alias Pappu, and Mithilesh Rajvanshi. Both are natives of Hardia village under the Rajauli police station area in the district.

Apart from the explosives and bulletproof gear, the police also recovered two .315 bore rifles, 20 bullets, nine detonators and around 100 metres of cordtex wire, which is a type of detonating cord or fuse wire normally used in mining operations.

"Both the Maoists are active members of PLFI. They were arrested in a joint operation by the local police and the special task force (STF). The explosives they were carrying were kept in 325 small packets," a media communique from Nawada Superintendent of Police (SP) Abinav Dhiman's officer said.

The PLFI is mostly active in Jharkhand with offshoots active in neighbouring states – Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It was initially established as Jharkhand Liberation Tigers, but was renamed to PLFI in 2007.

Its founder, Dinesh Gope, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in May 2023 in Delhi. It is said to have up to 300 active members and has been responsible for around half of the Maoist-related incidents in Jharkhand. Interestingly, it has also been engaged in a violent battle for turf and domination against the Communist Party of India (Maoist).

Also Read

Police Unearths Cyber Fraud Gang That Lured Poor Women In Villages To Open Mule Accounts