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Jamui, Nov. 10: Police and CRPF have intensified combing operations on the Jamui-Giridih border to arrest the suspected Maoists involved in yesterday’s ambush in the Jharkhand district.
A 60-member Maoist hit squad waylaid and fired upon a transit van ferrying prisoners, killing three policemen and an inmate in Giridih on Friday. The rebels had freed seven comrades who were among the 32 prisoners escorted back from court.
Intelligence sources today said the armed squad of Chirag, the “area commander” of the banned organisation of Jamui-Banka, had masterminded the attack at Giridih, 45km from Jamui. Jamui police, along with personnel of the CRPF’s 131st battalion, have conducted intensive combing operations in the areas close to Giridih.
Jamui superintendent of police Upendra Kumar Sharma told The Telegraph that the securitymen seized four bikes from Jamhara village under Chakai police station near the Giridih border. “Investigations are on to identify the owners of the motorcycles. We are also verifying whether rebels used them in yesterday’s incident,” he said.
He added that massive combing operations were on in the bordering areas and the police have been keeping strict vigil in the areas bordering Giridih.
The sources said the Chilkhari massacre in Giridih on October 26, 2007, in which 19 people, including the elder son of then chief minister of Jharkhand Babulal Marandi were killed, was planned in the Batia valley forest of Jamui. “Chirag and his armed squad had hatched the plot at the same place,” an intelligence officer said, requesting anonymity.
The officer feared that the armed squad, led by Chirag, has entered Jamui. “Eyewitnesses in Giridih said the rebels were on their way to Jamui after the operation,” he added.
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