Two Maoists wanted for Jharkhand ex-minister, cop’s killings held

RANCHI - Two more Maoist rebels, allegedly involved in the murder of former Jharkhand minister Ramesh Singh Munda and the abduction and beheading of police inspector Francis Induwar, were arrested from the state’s Khuti district, police said Saturday.

“Two Maoist rebels, Santosh Munda and Vipul Lohra, have been arrested from Musanga jungle of Arki police station of Khuti district. Both were wanted in killing of ex-minister Ramesh Singh Munda, abduction of Special Branch Inspector Francis Induwar who was later beheaded and hijacking an ICICI Bank delivery van and looting Rs.5 crore,” a police official told IANS.

Police seized a rifle, live cartridges, Rs.50,000 cash, two land mines, 285 Gelatin sticks and other materials from the arrested rebels.

The ICICI cash delivery van was hijacked and looted in May 2007, Munda - then a sitting Janata Dal-United legislator - was killed on outskirts of Ranchi in June 2008, and Induwar was abducted and killed in October last year.

The two arrested Maoist rebels are close associates of Kundan Pahan, the zonal commander of proscribed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist). Both Santosh and Vipul are sub zonal commanders.

Police had June 13 arrested Maoists Lakshmi Munda and Pawan Munda, involved in abduction of Induwar, from the outskirts of Ranchi. During interrogation, Lakshmi Munda said that five rebels had abducted Induwar, whose decapitated body was found on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur national highway.