Maoists planned to replicate Jehanabad jailbreak in Jamui

PATNA - Maoist guerrillas in Bihar planned to replicate Jehanabad jailbreak in Jamui district last month to free their 51 cadres lodged in the jail, police said Thursday.

Baro Koda, a Maoist suspected of killing Lucas Tete — one of the four Bihar policemen abducted by the rebels last month — and arrested last week, told police during interrogation that Maoists decided to replicate Jehanabad jailbreak by raiding Jamui jail to free their cadres.

A police official said Baro Koda disclosed that lack of sophisticated arms and ammunition like mortars, hand grenades and rocket launchers delayed the plan by three days that led to a surprise six-hour gunfight in Lakhisarai district Aug 29, in which seven policemen were killed and 10 injured.

Maoists also kidnapped four policemen after gunfight. Tete’s body was found Sep 3 while the other three were set free by rebels Sep 6.

Koda told police that about 150 heavily armed Maoists and hundreds of men from the People’s Guerilla Liberation Army assembled in forest area in Lakhisarai and were ready for the attack on Jamui jail.

Jehanabad jailbreak hit headlines when around 300 inmates, including 150 Maoist rebels, escaped in 2005 after Maoists stormed the jail.