Latehar, May 2: Police in Jharkhand’s Latehar district arrested five individuals for allegedly extorting money from contractors and NTPC officials by impersonating Maoist insurgents, while a separate Maoist attack in the district claimed the life of a road construction supervisor, officials said.
In the first incident, five suspects were detained on April 28 after police received a tip-off about a planned operation near the forested area of Ara village, according to PTI.
The accused reportedly posed as members of the banned Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), to demand levies from construction personnel and energy officials.
“We received a tip-off that some people were planning to carry out an incident near the forest of Ara village on April 28. The police took quick action and arrested the five people,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Vinod Rawani.
Two suspects managed to flee during the operation under cover of darkness, he added. Police recovered one firearm, ammunition, eight TSPC leaflets and seven mobile phones from the scene.
In a separate incident on April 29, suspected Maoist insurgents shot dead Ayub Khan, a supervisor employed by a road contractor in Orsa village, under the Mahuadanr police station area. The assailants also set fire to multiple machines used in construction work.
“According to initial information, the murder was committed by Maoists,” said Superintendent of Police Kumar Gaurav, adding that police teams have been deployed for investigation.
Latehar, a known hotspot for left-wing extremism, has seen sporadic Maoist activity in recent years despite government efforts to curb insurgent influence in the region.
