Bhubaneswar, June 14: Two Maoists, who had been planning a big operation, were arrested early in the morning today from Lungra Ghati in the K. Balang police station limits on Sundergarh-Jharkhand border.

The duo, Bishram alias Sudhir Bhuiyan, 24, and Habil Horo, 23, both from west Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, were arrested by a joint team of CRPF and local police. They also recovered a double barrel gun and some live ammunition from the rebels, who were involved in a number of cases, including killing of police sub-inspector Ajit Bardhan in 2009.

They were also accused in the murder of Kandri Lohar, a reformed Maoist, who had joined the home guards, along with her four-year-old son. They had a hand in the loot of cash being transported from Lahunipara Agricultural Development Bank to the Barsuan SBI branch on August 6, 2010 near Tinko Ghati.

The deputy inspector general of police, western range, Y.K. Jethwa, said the Maoists of Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh were planning a big operation. Rebel leaders Anmol, Sandeep, Kunu Dehury, Abhaya and Ajaya, who were active in Saranda, Deogarh and Sambalpur, hatched the plan.

“They might have targeted a police camp. That’s why we have alerted the Rapid Police Force and Central Industrial Security Force units as well. They have started joint operations in various areas to thwart designs of the rebels,” said Jethwa.

He said that considering the huge mobilisation of cadres by the Maoists, it appeared that something on the scale of Nayagarh attack of 2008 was being planned.

The deputy inspector general (operations) CRPF, north Odisha, J.P.K. Ray, said the Cobra battalions of the CRPF and Special Operations Group (SOG) of the state police, apart from the District Voluntary Force (DVF), have been asked to keep a close watch on the rebels’ movement.

Sources said the Saranda forests on the Sundergarh-Jharkhand border have for long been used as a hide-out and an operational base by the Maoists.