Four Maoists held for attack on CoBRA in Bihar

Nearly a week after Maoists blew up a police vehicle and killed two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans near Sherghati, a joint team of Gaya police and CRPF raided different villages in Magadh region and arrested four ultras involved in the incident.

The apprehended rebels – Mithilesh, Binod Yadav, Mohammad Ibrar and Ajay Kumar – confessed that they used ammonium nitrate  last Tuesday to blow up the bus which was carrying the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) jawans to their base camp after the cops, earlier in the day, conducted search operations in Maoist-infested areas.
“The explosives were stashed in two 5 kg-cylinders and planted beneath a road connecting the culvert. An IED (improvised explosive device) was used to trigger the blast,” said a source quoting the Maoists who confessed before the investigating officer.

The four rebels have been forwarded to jail.Police sources said that the Maoists had made an unsuccessful attempt to loot arms from the CoBRA battalion soon after the landmine explosion but their design was foiled by the back-up forces.

Additional Director General (ADG) of Police, Law and Order, Alok Raj, who visited the incident site soon after the explosion, formed a special team to flush out the rebels. The cops eventually raided Khardag, Bijua and Kolhubar villages under Dumaria police station and apprehended the Maoists.

“The four arrested Maoists have given substantial clue about the modus operandi of the attack. Raids are on to trace the other absconding Naxalites,” said the source, adding that the Maoists in the area had earlier warned that three senior police officers would be punished in their ‘kangaroo court’ for torturing innocent villagers.