Ranchi, Nov. 20: Seven men, including a top CPI(Maoist) leader who had escaped from prison, were arrested today and a large cache of arms and ammunition seized from them in one of the “neatest” operations in recent months, police said.

Gumla police arrested sub-zonal commander Uday Oraon and two area commanders — Sanicharwa and Sukra. Along with the red top brass, the team seized four carbines, three rifles, ammunition and cash worth Rs 6 lakh.

Talking to The Telegraph, Gumla police superintendent Baljeet Singh said the men who were arrested had managed to unleashed a reign of terror in Gumla and Lohardaga. Among the seven, Uday Oraon broke out of the Lohardaga jail in 2006. It was around that time that he made an audacious statement that the “police would never be able to catch him alive”.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team raided Jharida village under Sisai police station area early this morning. When the police surrounded the house where the rebels had taken shelter, the men were forced to surrender unconditionally. The operation began around 4am and was over by 5am. Neither the rebels nor the police exchanged any fire.

“Uday Oraon always boasted that the police would never be able to catch him alive. When he was surrounded today, surprisingly the fire-brand Naxalite leader chose to surrendered without a murmur,” said Singh.

The arrests are so high-profile that the police headquarters is considering rewarding personnel who were involved. Police spokesperson S.N. Pradhan described the arrests as a “beautifully co-ordinated” operation conducted by the special branch, Gumla district police and Ranchi headquarters.

Giridih encounter

Giridih police, with help from CRPF, arrested members of the CPI(Maoist) at Bharati Chalkari forest under Pirtand police station area after an encounter.

A long-range patrol party of Pirtand police, passing through the area around 2pm, chanced upon the rebels. Police also recovered detonators, Maoist literature and important documents that revealed a nexus between the CPI(Maoist) and Krantikari Kishan Morcha, Jharkhand Avon and Nari Mukti Sangh, police sources said.