Ranchi/Giridih: Security forces have achieved a major breakthrough in the anti-Maoist campaign in Jharkhand with the arrest of Misir Besra alias Bhaskar alias Sunirmal alias Sagar, a top Maoist leader carrying a reward of ₹1 crore and a Politburo member of the banned Maoist organisation. He was apprehended in Giridih district during a joint operation conducted by the CoBRA battalion, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jharkhand Police. Two other alleged Maoist operatives—Mochu alias Mehnat alias Vibhishan alias Kumba Murmu, a Regional Committee member carrying a reward of ₹15 lakh, and Gaurav alias Saurabh, an active member of the organisation—were also arrested. Security agencies have described the operation as one of the most significant blows to the Maoist leadership in Jharkhand in recent years.
According to officials, the arrests were made on Tuesday evening following specific intelligence inputs during a coordinated operation near the Dhanbad-Giridih border. Security personnel surrounded the suspects and took all three into custody. Two villagers were also detained during the operation and are being questioned. Investigators are now interrogating the arrested Maoists to gather intelligence on the organisation’s network, arms caches and the whereabouts of other absconding members.
Misir Besra is a native of Madandih village under the Pirtand police station area of Giridih district. He was a member of the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the banned Maoist organisation, and had been regarded as one of its principal strategists in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha for more than a decade and a half. Various state governments had collectively announced a reward of ₹1 crore for information leading to his capture, and he had long featured on the list of India’s most wanted Maoist leaders.
Security agencies alleged that Besra played a key role in planning armed operations, directing armed squads, recruiting new cadres, collecting extortion money and coordinating activities across multiple Maoist zones. He has also been linked to the planning of several major attacks on security forces, improvised explosive device (IED) blasts, arms loot incidents and other violent activities. Officials said he frequently shifted his hideouts across the forested border regions of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, making his arrest a long-standing challenge for security forces.
The second arrested accused, Mochu alias Mehnat alias Vibhishan alias Kumba Murmu, is a resident of Ghorabandha village under Barwadda police station in Dhanbad district. He was a Regional Committee member of the Maoist organisation and carried a reward of ₹15 lakh announced by the Jharkhand government. Investigators believe he was a close associate of Misir Besra and played an active role in managing operations, extortion activities, cadre management and logistical coordination in the Saranda-Porahat region. The third accused, Gaurav alias Saurabh, is also believed to be an active member of the organisation.
Security agencies said the interrogation of the three arrested Maoists is expected to provide crucial information about the organisation’s arms dumps, IED network, financial resources, extortion system, urban support network and other absconding Maoist leaders. Based on the intelligence gathered, additional anti-Maoist operations may be launched in Saranda, Kolhan, Giridih and adjoining areas.
According to security officials, Misir Besra faces multiple criminal cases involving murder, attacks on police and security personnel, IED explosions, arms loot, extortion and criminal conspiracy. Authorities believe his arrest has dealt a major blow to the organisational and operational capabilities of the banned Maoist outfit and could significantly strengthen ongoing efforts to dismantle the remaining Maoist network in Jharkhand. The three accused remain under interrogation, and further action will be taken based on the information gathered during the investigation.
