Thaindian News

New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) A hardcore Maoist, who took part in around 200 attacks on security forces in Jharkhand, was arrested here, Delhi Police said Thursday. He was also involved in an ambush in 2011 in the state in which 11 securitymen were killed.

Shiv Kumar alias Shiva alias Hero, 27, a resident of Ranchi was arrested Wednesday for murder and criminal activities in Jharkhand from Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar in south-west Delhi’s Samaypur Badli area, said an official.

He came to Delhi in December last year and was residing at a relative’s house. Jharkhand Police had launched a manhunt to nab him in November 2011.

“Kumar, a Class 9 pass out, is an expert in assembling landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). He heads the Local Guerilla Squad (LGS) and has close association with Ravinder, a local area commander of Narkopi region near Ranchi in Jharkhand,” said Sanjay Kumar Jain, deputy commissioner of police (crime).

The LGS is a fighter wing, which is fully armed and also deals with landmines and traps.

“LGS carried out specific hits like ambush on security forces and kidnapped for ransoms to generate income,” Jain said.

“He has been deeply indoctrinated on Left-wing ideology in the Saryu jungles of Jharkhand,” Jain added.

Kumar, who is well-versed in the theories of Karl Marx, Lenin and Mao, is also believed to have taken part in around 200 Maoist actions against police and security forces in Lohardaga and Latehar districts of Jharkhand.

He told police that he joined the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in 2008.

Jain said Kumar is well trained in firearms and can dismantle a pistol in seconds.

He is also an expert in long-range fire with INSAS rifle, .303 rifle, SLR and AK-47. He has been trained to assemble and plant IEDs as landmines.

“He has used manually and remote controlled land mines popularly known as ‘Arjuna Krishna’. He has also handled ‘booby traps’ which are bombs disguised as items of ordinary luggage,” said Jain.

In November 2010, Kumar and his group had allegedly murdered contractor Chhedi Singh in Ranchi, suspecting that he had become a police informer.

A year later, Kumar was allegedly part of an ambush on security forces in Dhardhariya jungle near Sneha in Lohardagga district in Jharkahand, in which almost 400 Maoists, including men and women, took part.

“In May 2011, the Maoists carried out an ambush and killed 11 security personnel and injured as many as 50 others. The primary motive behind the attack was to loot police weapons,” said Jain.

In November last year, Kumar and his associates allegedly planted landmines around six-seven government schools in Latehaar, which were being used by security forces as a temporary shelter.

When the troops came to rest in one of the schools, the Maoists exploded the IEDs, injuring many soldiers.

This is the second arrest of a Maoist hailing from Jharkhand in the capital in the past one month.

Pradeep Kumar, a 42-year-old suspected Maoist who was wanted in the murder of a senior police officer 12 years ago, was arrested in the capital May 10.