JPC chief carrying reward of 5 lakh arrested in Dhanbad

DHANBAD: Giridih police on Monday arrested two Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC) cadres, including its chief Nageshwar Ganju, from a forest under Sariya police station. The other person arrested has been identified as Purushottam Ganju, who was the sub-zonal commander and a close aide of Ganju. Security forces also recovered three land mines (each weighing between 2-2.5 kg), a JPC letter pad and Maoist literature from the cadres.Police said the duo were involved in at least 17 cases of levy collection, loot, dacoity and murders in Hazaribag and Chatra districts. Ganju carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, police added."Based on inputs that the two accused were planning to meet some local youths in Dhawaiya forests area, we arrested them," SP Abhishek B Variar said. The SP added that the arrest was considered to be a big achievement as the accused revealed valuable information on extremist activities."The duo were nabbed while they were delivering a speech to lure villagers in their group. At least 25-30 youths managed to escape in the dark", Sariya-Bagodar SDPO, Deepak Kumar Sharma, who led the operation said."During investigation, Ganju, said they were planning to expand their base in Giridh. Apart from local traders, their main target for levy collections and other criminal acts were contractors," Sharma added.