Ranchi, Mar 20 (PTI) A self-styled zonal commander of banned outfit, Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was arrested along with one of his associates from here, a police officer said on Sunday.

The ‘zonal commander' of the Maoist organisation was identified as Bhikhan Ganjhu alias Deepak Ganjhu alias Netaji, while his associate was identified as Rahul Kumar Munda.

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Forty-year-old Ganjhu was wanted in 26 cases, including murder, registered under different police stations of Chatra and Ranchi, the police officer said.

Ranchi senior superintendent of police (SSP) Surendra Kumar Jha told reporters “Ganjhu was active in Khalari, McCluskieganj, Piparwar, and Tandwa. It was challenging to arrest him due to several reasons. However, the police made continuous efforts to nab the extremist and finally he was arrested.”

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The SSP said that based on a tip-off on March 17 evening, a 23-member quick response team (QRT) was set up.

The team conducted a raid at Delatoli under Sadar police station and arrested Ganjhu and Munda.

According to a statement issued by the police, Rs 12.32 lakh in cash, seven mobiles, two routers, TSPC's central sub-zonal committee's letterhead, one laptop, five debit cards, a passbook, a cheque book, and a two-wheeler were recovered from them.

The Jharkhand police along with central armed forces have been carrying out an operation against Maoists in Lohardaga and neighbouring districts since February 8.

Till now, nine Maoists have been arrested, while one has been killed.

Five top Maoists carrying rewards ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 25 lakh have also surrendered before the security forces.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)