A large quantity of explosives were recovered by the security personnel after it arrested a hard-core Naxal following an encounter in Nayakocha jungle in Silli police station in Ranchi district.
Based on the information that two hard-core Maoists, Rammohan and Mukhlal Mahato, who is member of North Chotanagpur Zonal Committee of the outfit, along with 25 armed activists will be gathering at Jayantibeda, Jumla area in Silli police station for a meeting, the state police launched operation Swarnarekha on 10 October but came to know next day that the Maoists were holding meeting in the Jumla (Nayakocha) jungle.
The Maoists opened fire on seeing the security personnel approaching, forcing it to retaliate in self-defense, according to a press released issued by the Police Headquarters in Ranchi today.
The Maoist cadre managed to escape in the jungle but the security personnel succeeded to arrest Mukhlal Mahato alias Mochu Bhagat, a resident of Mahuatand police station area of Bokaro district.
A member of the technical team of the Maoists, Mahato, who was operating in Bokaro, Hazaribagh, Giridih, Ramgarh and Ranchi districts for last ten years, was wanted by the police in over 60 Naxal-related incidents.
The security personnel recovered 40 gelatine sticks, three grenades, two .303 bore regular police rifle, 110 live cartiidges, empty cartridges, one mobile phone, 8 chargers, one steel can from the spot of the encounter.
Besides, the security pesonnel also recovered 58 can-bombs (live), 100 detonators, 14 mines (live), bomb making materials and equipment, 7 bundles of codex wire, one half-made pipe bomb from Asnapani jungle in Mahuatand police station and Tiriyonala jungle of Bokaro district.
