Bhagalpur, Nov. 21: Jamui police, in a joint operation with Munger team officers and other personnel, nabbed one Pradeep Koda, a cook who served Maoists, from Bhimbandh forest yesterday.

Koda was involved in the infamous August 2010 Kodashi Valley ambush of Kajra hills in Lakhisarai district.

In the incident, eight police personnel were killed and the rebels took four officers hostage. Bihar Military Police havildar Lucas Tete was killed after being taken hostage by the rebels.

A combing operation by the Jamui police led to the arrest of Koda from the forest in Munger district.

Jamui superintendent of police Ram Narayan Singh said the district police, along with Munger police, State Auxiliary Police, Special Task Force and Bihar Military Police personnel raided Chormara and Gurmaha.

Singh added that the team arrested six people on the basis of suspicion from Gurmaha, inside the highly inaccessible Bhimbandh wildlife sanctuary.

“During interrogation, Koda revealed his identity. Koda said he was involved in the infamous August 2010 Kodashi valley ambush incident of Kajra hills in Lakhisarai,” Singh said.

He added: “Among the six arrested yesterday, two Maoists — Musa Koda and Shyamsundar Rai — were identified as absconders by the forest department. The department in 2009 issued warrants against the duo. The other three who were nabbed were found to be innocent. The trio were immediately set free. The police seized one motorcycle from the forest.”

Senior officers in Jamui said Koda has disclosed some vital information to the police.

“We hope the information provided by him are vital. We are working on a strategy in this case,” a senior policeman said on condition of anonymity.

The officer added that during the interrogations, Koda revealed that on the instruction of Birbal da, the area commander of Jamui-Bhagalpur zone of CPI(Maoist), he was appointed as a cook for the rebels inside the forest. During the time he was serving the Maoists, the Kajra hills incident occurred.

“I had nothing to do with the incident. I was appointed as a cook for the rebels and accidentally an ambush was laid,” Koda told the police after his arrest.

The officer, on condition of anonymity, said the police have vital information about the absconding Maoists in the district.