Jharkhand News : Jharkhand Police have recovered an AK-56 assault rifle, two magazines and 90 live cartridges based on information provided by Ravindra Ganjhu, a regional committee member of a banned Maoist outfit who carried a ₹20 lakh bounty.
According to police, the weapons were buried beneath a banyan tree in Banjhitola village under the Chandwa police station area of Latehar district.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sandeep Kumar Gupta said Ravindra Ganjhu was arrested on July 12 from Banjhitola village. During police remand and subsequent interrogation, he allegedly disclosed the location of the hidden weapons along with other key information related to the Maoist organisation.
Acting on his disclosure and under the directions of Superintendent of Police Kumar Gaurav, a special police team carried out a search operation and recovered the concealed cache, which included one AK-56 rifle, two magazines, 90 live cartridges and a pouch.
The DSP said further investigation is underway based on the information obtained during interrogation. Police are also probing Ganjhu’s network, his associates and other suspected Maoist hideouts. Officials expressed hope that the investigation could lead to further significant recoveries and arrests.
Police said Ravindra Ganjhu is accused in more than 150 cases related to Maoist violence, armed attacks and other extremist activities across various districts of Jharkhand. A reward of ₹20 lakh had been announced for his arrest, and he had remained on the wanted list of security agencies for a long time.
Describing the arrest and the subsequent recovery of weapons as a major success in the anti-Maoist campaign, police claimed that Maoist activities in Latehar district have been largely dismantled following Ganjhu’s arrest. However, security forces said operations will continue to trace the remaining active cadres and completely dismantle the Maoist network in the region.
