Gumla (Jharkhand), Mar 13 (PTI) A central committee member of the banned Maoist splinter group People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), Durga Singh alias Panjari Singh, was arrested in Jharkhand’s Gumla district, a senior police officer said on Thursday.
One of the founding members of PLFI, Durga was apprehended during a raid near Murumkela Tetartoli village under Kamdara police station area on Wednesday night, the officer said.
Gumla SP Shambhu Kumar Singh said Durga, who was wanted in 18 criminal cases, had been leading the organisation as its second-in-command following the imprisonment of PLFI leader Dinesh Gope.
"We received intelligence indicating that Durga, along with several PLFI associates, was in the area planning to execute a criminal act," the SP said.
Acting on the tip-off, a joint quick response team, comprising district police and SSB 32 Battalion, was deployed under the leadership of the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Gumla.
"During the raid, our team spotted suspicious people on two motorcycles near Murumkela Tetartoli village. Upon seeing police, the suspects attempted to flee. One motorcycle managed to escape, but we successfully pursued and arrested three persons on the other motorcycle," Singh added.
Besides Singh, Kaleshwar Hajam alias Tempu Hajam, a PLFI area commander, and Ramkumar Singh, a resident of Ranchi’s Ormanjhi, were also arrested.
Police seized a double-barrel rifle, a country-made revolver and eight cartridges from their possession.
