Maoist leader with Rs 10 lakh bounty on his head arrested in Bihar

Bihar Police on Saturday arrested a Maoist zonal commander carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, and his associate from Gaya district, an officer said.

The arrested Maoists have been identified as Abhijeet alias Banwari (zonal commander-central zone) and Kundan. Police also seized an AK-56 rifle, 97 cartridges and other items from the possession of the arrested Maoists, the officer said.

Talking to reporters, Senior Superintendent of Police, Gaya, Harpreet Kaur said, "Acting on a tip-off, police arrested both Maoists, including Abhijeet, from Nandai police station area of Gaya on Saturday. The Jharkhand government had announced a bounty of Rs 10 lakh for Abhijeet's arrest, while the Bihar government announced Rs 50,000."

Abhijeet was wanted by both Jharkhand and Bihar police in more than 61 cases He was also wanted by Bihar Police for his role in the 2016 improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Aurangabad in which seven security personnel were killed, the SSP said.

Both the arrested Maoists are residents of Palamu in Jharkhand.