Jharkhand cops arrest 3 Maoists with Rs25 lakh bounty
Times of India | 6 August 2026
Manbazar: Jharkhand Police on Wednesday nabbed three high-profile CPI (Maoist) operatives with a collective bounty of Rs 25 lakh on their heads.
Among those arrested are CPI (Maoist) regional committee member Madan Mahato, sub-zonal commander Sagar Singh and his wife Mira Pahariya. Police seized an AK-47 rifle, a 9mm pistol, a walkie-talkie and a large stash of live cartridges from Sagar.
Madan, alias Shankar, a resident of Karmashol village under Salboni Police Station in West Midnapore district, carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh. Sagar, alias Biren, hailing from Benadi Tola in Nimdih, Seraikella-Kharsawan district, and his wife Mira, alias Mina, from Amkocha village in Purulia’s Ayodhya Hills, each carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh. All three belonged to the squad of Maoist central committee chief Asim Mandal, alias Akash.
Acting on technical and human intelligence to track Akash’s squad hiding along the Bengal-Jharkhand border, Jharkhand Police launched a targeted operation early Wednesday morning.
After receiving specific inputs that Sagar was hiding at a residence in Udaipur village under Kandra Police Station, security forces cordoned off the area and apprehended him. His interrogation led police to the nearby village of Canderbera in Chandil, where Madan and Mira were captured during a cordon-and-search operation. The trio was subsequently taken to Ranchi for extended interrogation.