Purulia, October 13 (Daily Kiran) : West Bengal Police conducted a major operation in Purulia district near the Jharkhand border, recovering a substantial amount of weapons and ammunition from an abandoned Maoist camp. The police action followed interrogations of recently surrendered Maoist cadres, leading to a raid on a house in the Duarsini area under the Bandwan police station.
Superintendent of Police Kumar Sani Raj reported that prominent Maoist leaders, including Madan, Ravi, and Meera, had surrendered to the authorities. Many members of the group have laid down their arms. Based on information gathered from these surrenders, police targeted a residence in Duarsini, close to the Jharkhand border, where they discovered a bag filled with weapons and ammunition.
In collaboration with Jharkhand police, West Bengal authorities have intensified their anti-Maoist operations. Recent joint raids by the Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police, along with Bankura district police and Jharkhand police, have yielded significant results over the past months.
The persistent security operations have weakened the Maoist movement in the region. In January of the previous year, a major campaign led by Jharkhand police resulted in the deaths of 15 Maoists.
However, the discovery of weapons at the abandoned camp raises concerns that Maoists may have hidden additional arms and ammunition in other locations. A police official expressed suspicions that there are more concealed caches. Ongoing operations are planned to locate these hidden weapons.
Last month, West Bengal’s anti-Maoist efforts achieved another significant victory when Kolkata Police STF arrested senior CPI (Maoist) leader Asim Mandal, alias Akash, along with two associates. Mandal, one of the most wanted Maoist leaders active in West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha, was apprehended during a morning operation in Patashpur, East Midnapore.
A reward of ₹2.2 crore was announced for information leading to his capture, with the Jharkhand government offering ₹1 crore and the Odisha government providing ₹1.20 crore for his arrest.
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