Police have succeeded in a busting a network of rebels extorting money from traders and businessmen in different parts of the district. The cops also seized explosives, arms and Naxalite literature during the course of its operation carried out on Wednesday night.
The arrest was made after a brick kiln owner helped police in nabbing the person, who used to collect levy on behalf of the Maoists.
The brick kiln owner, whose name has been withheld by the police owing to security reasons, had been asked to cough up Rs 5 lakh as levy. The kiln owner approached the police and then personnel in civic clothes accompanied him to Daharampur village under the jurisdiction of Minapur police station where the money had to be delivered to one Prem Chandra Jha. The police team was being led by assistant superintendent of police, operations, Rana Brajesh. As soon as Jha accepted the levy amount from the kiln owner, the police arrested him.
Following this arrest, Jha was quizzed by the police team. Based on information provided by him, further raids were conducted, which led to arrests of Ranjit Sahni, Sunil Kumar Sahni, Ram Kirpal Sahni, Ritlal, Ram Dayal Sahni and Sanjay Sahni from Karhar village.
Sharing details, Muzaffarpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ranjit Kumar Mishra on Thursday said all the arrested rebels had accepted their involvement in several cases of levy collection from businessmen and traders.
"The rebels were amassing money by asking levy from the traders and had planned to use it for subversive activities during the Assembly polls," the SSP said.
A host of legislators from the district, including Dinesh Prasad Kushwaha, Dinesh Prasad Singh, Ram Surat Rai, Raju Kumar and Ashok Kumar, are already on the hit list of the rebels.
The police have once again requested them not to move into the hinterland after sunset.
The district police have got vital clues of nefarious designs of the rebels, planning to indulge in explosion at police buildings and landmine incidents during the forthcoming Assembly elections.
