Patna/ Muzaffarpur, March 5: The CPI (Maoist) received a major blow today when one of its senior members was arrested from a brick kiln at the foothills of Goraila plateau in Rohtas district. A looted police rifle and a dozen live cartridges were recovered from his possession.
Rohtas superintendent of police Manu Maharaj said arrested Maoist Vrishketu Kumar Singh masterminded the attacks on the Rajpur and Baghaila police stations in Rohtas district on June 30, 2007, in which five policemen, a chowkidar and three civilians died.
The SP said the police were tipped off about the arrival of Singh at the brick kiln to collect levy. Subsequently, members of the task force conducted a raid at the kiln and arrested Singh with a looted police rifle. “The rifle was looted from the security personnel during the attack on Rajpur and Baghaila police stations,” he said.
Around 250-300 Maoists triggered landmine blasts at the two police stations and escaped with three self-loading rifles, two Insas rifles, two carbines and a large number of cartridges of .303 besides wireless sets and other articles.
Maharaj said Singh had been involved in Naxalite operations in Rohtas, Buxar and Bhojpur districts.
The SP said Singh also confessed to his involvement in the attack on the Hasan Bazar police outpost in Buxar district in 1984.
“Singh had dodged the police dragnet on several occasions earlier,” the SP said and added that he set up a special police team to nab him soon after getting information about his activities.
Rebels torch camp
Around 25 Naxalites set a makeshift shade of Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation on fire at Raghai village late last night.
The corporation was engaged in completing a bridge on Budhi Gandak river in Raghia village at a cost of Rs 23 crore. No casualties were reported in the incident
Chief minister Nitish Ku-mar had laid the foundation stone of the bridge in 2009.
The SP said Singh also confessed to his involvement in the attack on the Hasan Bazar police outpost in Buxar district in 1984 in which the Maoists had killed two home guards and snatched two police rifles and police uniform.
In 1997, Singh, along with 60-70 Maoists, attacked Tarari police station in Bhojpur district. However, no policeman was killed in the exchange of fire. In 2000, hundreds of Maoists had descended at Sujatpur village under Dhansai police station in Buxar district and killed an assistant sub-inspector of police.
Referring to Singh’s antecedents, Maharaj said that he had been active in Shahabad range since 1984. “He had dodged the police dragnet on several occasions earlier,” he said and added that he set up a special police team soon after getting information about his activities.
