Two more Maoist rebels, allegedly involved in the murder of the former Jharkhand Minister, Ramesh Singh Munda, and the abduction and beheading of police inspector Francis Induwar, were arrested in Khuti district, police said on Saturday.
“Two Maoist rebels, Santosh Munda and Vipul Lohra, have been arrested from Musanga jungle under Arki police station of Khuti district. Both were wanted in the killing of ex-Minister Ramesh Singh Munda, abduction of Special Branch Inspector Francis Induwar who was later beheaded, and hijacking of an ICICI Bank delivery van and looting Rs.5 crore,” a police official told IANS.
The police seized a rifle, live cartridges, Rs. 50,000, two landmines, 285 gelatine sticks and other materials from them. The ICICI cash delivery van was hijacked and looted in May 2007. Ramesh Singh Munda, then a sitting Janata Dal (United) legislator, was killed on the outskirts of Ranchi in June 2008. 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). Both Santosh and Vipul are sub zonal commanders. On June 13, the police arrested Maoists Lakshmi Munda and Pawan Munda, involved in the abduction of Induwar, on the outskirts of Ranchi. During interrogation, Lakshmi Munda said five rebels had abducted Induwar, whose decapitated body was found on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur national highway.
