JOIN USA banned Maoist outfit’s sub-zonal commander has been arrested by Delhi Police in south-west Delhi’s Kapashera for carrying out an IED blast and firing at police in Jharkhand in December 2014.
One constable was killed and two others were injured in the attack.
Police said 26-year-old Chandeshwar Yadav of Communist Party of India (Maoist) was absconding since the attack. A reward of Rs 5 lakh had been declared on his arrest by the Jharkhand government.
“All the perpetrators of the attack on December 24 last year had managed to escape,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.
They are wanted in a case under Indian Penal Code, Explosive Substances Act, Criminal Law (Amendment) Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act registered with Itkhori police station in Jharkhand’s Chatra district.
Chandeshwar, who hails from Bihar’s Gaya district, was identified as a ‘key executioner’ of the ambush. A team of Special Cell was recently informed that one of the senior Maoist commanders had shifted to Delhi after Holi. On Sunday, a specific input was received about the suspect’s sighting in Kapashera. Accordingly, a trap was laid and Chandeshwar was apprehended at Naale Wali Gali in Kapashera. Chandeshwar has studied up to class 4. His father is a labourer and owns a small plot of land for farming in Gaya. After dropping out of school, Chandeshwar assisted his family in farming. Since the income was meager, he purchased an autorickshaw in March 2013.
While working as an auto driver, Chandeshwar had a dispute over a cattle shed with his uncle. He was also thrashed over the dispute. Seeking revenge, Chandeshwar approached a relative named Kaushal Yadav, a senior Maoist commander and recruiter.
“Kaushal encouraged Chandeshwar to join the banned Maoist outfit. Chandeshwar was told that if he carried a gun, his enemies will start respecting him,” Yadav added.
In May 2014, Kaushal took Chandeshwar to the jungles surrounding Barsoti village in Jharkhand, where a Maoist camp was located. There, he met two other senior Maoist commanders Indal Singh and Alok Yadav.
Soon, Chandeshwar became an important member of the outfit’s unit in Chatra and started visiting villages on foot to spread their message.
In December 2014, Chandeshwar and his unit planned to attack a police team to loot their weapons.
Once the plan was set, Chandeshwar and his men went to the target area with INSAS rifles and explosive-filled tiffin boxes.
“The clout of Chandeshwar grew after the attack and security forces began tracking him,” Yadav said.