Jamui, June 6 (IANS) In a major breakthrough in the fight against Left Wing Extremism (LWE), the Jamui Police in Bihar arrested Naresh Ravidas a.k.a. Patal Ravidas, a notorious Maoist operative and former area commander, from Teliyadih village under the Jhajha police station area on June 5, an official said on Friday.

Ravidas had been on the run for 17 years and was wanted in multiple serious cases, including deadly attacks in Munger (2005) and Banka (2008) districts.

According to Jamui SP Madan Kumar Anand, the arrest was made following a tip-off about Ravidas' return to his native village.

Acting swiftly, a police team led by Jhajha SDPO Rajesh Kumar, Jhajha SHO Sanjay Kumar, and ASI Mukesh Kumar Singh, surrounded the area and took Ravidas into custody.

“We had received secret information that Naresh Ravidas had returned. The area was cordoned off and he was arrested,” SP Anand said.

Ravidas, who once operated as an area commander in the Banka region of the Jharkhand-Bihar LWE zone, has been linked to major Maoist attacks.

On January 5, 2005, he was allegedly involved in the ambush of then Munger SP K.C. Surendra Babu and five other police personnel in the Bhimbandh forest area. The deadly attack near Peshra village sent shockwaves across Bihar and exposed critical gaps in the state's security preparedness at that time.

Surendra Babu and his team were returning after an anti-LWE operation when he and his team members were killed in a landmine explosion.

In 2008, he was also accused of being involved in a Maoist attack at Belhar village that claimed five lives of innocent civilians in the Banka district.

Ravidas faces multiple charges.

After preliminary questioning, Ravidas was transferred to Banka jail under judicial custody on Friday.

Authorities believe his arrest could reopen several old Maoist-related cases and help uncover hidden networks still operating in the region.

SP Anand said the police would continue to intensify operations against Maoist remnants in the border regions of Bihar and Jharkhand, focusing on gathering intelligence and dismantling support systems.

--IANS

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