Three naxals have been arrested in separate operations in naxal-hit West Singhbhum district, police said Thursday.
Acting on information, the district armed police and CRPF launched a search operation in Goirabeda jungle under Manoharpur police station and intercepted two persons travelling on a motorcycle yesterday, Superintendent of Police N K Singh said.
Singh told a press conference that the duo identified as Radhe Shyam Soy and Sukhdeo Tirkey, both residents of Goilkera police station area, tried to flee on seeing the security personnel leaving behind the two-wheeler but were caught after a chase.
Security personnel recovered Rs 1.92 lakh cash and mobile phone from them, Singh said. The motorcycle was also confiscated.
The duo told the police during interrogation that the money was collected from a contractor as levy and they were heading to a place to hand it over to a Naxal leader.
They had collected Rupees two lakh as levy from the contractor, Medina Khan, who was engaged in road construction work, Singh said.
Of the amount which they collected as levy, the duo had spent Rs 8000 of which they had paid Rs 1000 to S Bhegra, the contractor’s assistant (munshi), for delivering the levy.
An FIR has been registered against the duo as well as Khan, Bhengra, Motilal Soren and Nirbhay alias Raghunath Hembram (both naxals) in this connection, Singh said.
The arrested ultras also disclosed the names of eleven others who had paid levy to the ultra outfit, Singh said.
In another incident, 23-year-old Sanjota Kandulana, wife of Area Commander Jeevan Kandulana, was arrested with her two-month-old baby girl from Chaki Bazar of the district yesterday, Singh said.
Sanjota was wanted in some naxal related incidents pending under Tebo and Sonua police stations, he said.
Sanjota told the police that she kept herself away from naxal activities and was living in her native village in adjoining Arki police station area.
…….PTI