Maoist carrying Rs 10 lakh bounty held from Thane

He was brought to the ATS unit in Thane and handed over to the Jharkhand Police, which took his custody on transit remand for further investigation and legal proceedings, the officer said. (File)

A senior Maoist carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head allegedly left the forests of Jharkhand and allegedly took up odd jobs in Thane, including working as a caretaker of five to six cows at a bungalow in Dombivli.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested the 45-year-old from Thakurli near Dombivli.

The accused has been identified as Sanjay Saroju Yadav, also known as Sanjay Godray and Budharam.

He is wanted in seven cases in Jharkhand, including murder, extortion and an exchange of fire with police personnel.

During interrogation, the ATS learnt that Yadav had fled from the forests in the Chhatarpur area of Jharkhand more than a month ago.

After reaching Thane with the help of his Maoist friend, he initially came in contact with a real estate contractor, who employed him for loading and unloading work.

Later, he got in touch with another person who is in the real estate business, who lives in a bungalow in the Thakurli area of Dombivli. Around a week ago, Yadav approached the businessman seeking employment.

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The latter hired him to look after his five to six cows, which he would take out for grazing. The businessman was unaware of Yadav’s background, a police officer said.

Yadav is a resident of Devgaon village in Jharkhand’s Palamu district. He is allegedly a Zonal Committee Member of a banned Maoist organisation and joined the outfit in 2014, the officer added.

During questioning, Yadav reportedly told the police that a land dispute had prompted him to join the Maoist organisation in 2014. He is married and has three children — a 23-year-old married daughter and two sons aged 22 and 20. His father is a farmer.

Yadav allegedly had not returned home since joining the organisation in 2014 and was involved in several criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder and exchanges of fire with police personnel, the officer said.

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The ATS received specific intelligence that Yadav, against whom the Jharkhand Police had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh, was hiding in Thakurli. Acting on the information, the Thane unit of the Maharashtra ATS verified the inputs and apprehended him.

He was brought to the ATS unit in Thane and handed over to the Jharkhand Police, which took his custody on transit remand for further investigation and legal proceedings, the officer said.

Meanwhile, investigating agencies are examining his digital devices and other evidence to ascertain his activities and the purpose of his stay in Maharashtra over the past month.

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Manish Kumar Pathak is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work... Read More