Maoist arrested in MP with Rs 140,000 bounty

Bhopal, September 6 (IANS): A female Maoist with a bounty of Rs 1.4 million on her head was arrested in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Friday.

The arrest was made when the Hawk Force of Madhya Pradesh Police conducted a special search operation in the Parsatola area of ​​Chichrangpur forest range in the district during the night hours on Thursday.

“During the search, two suspicious persons were discovered and after a short chase, one of them was arrested. However, another Maoist managed to escape,” police said.

The arrested Maoist was identified as Sajanti, a resident of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra.

“Sajanti was actively involved in Maoist activities in Gadchiroli since 2011. In 2016, she shifted her base to Balaghat and became active in Khatiya Mocha area,” police said.

Police also claimed that the Hawk Force team was attacked by a group of suspected Maoists on their way back to their camp.

“At least 30 to 40 rounds were fired at the team, which returned fire and forced the attackers to flee,” police said, adding that a large-scale search operation was underway with teams of CRPF Cobra and Hawk Force to arrest the escaped Maoists.

The latest arrest is the fifth major success of the police in their anti-Maoist operations since December last year.

In December 2023, wanted Maoist Madkam Hidma alias Chaitu was gunned down, leading to the promotion of 24 police officers.

In another major operation on April 1, 2024, two feared Maoist cadres were killed, leading to the promotion of 25 officers involved in the clash.

In July, the Hawk Force killed Maoist Sohan alias Ukas, who had a bounty of Rs 14 lakh on his head.