ROURKELA: Following a 48-hour search operation, Sundargarh police arrested seven operatives of the dreaded Jharkhand-based extortionist outfit People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI). Arms and ammunition from multiple locations under Birmitrapur police limits were also seized.
The setback to the outfit came close on the heels of killing of three PLFI operatives by Jharkhand police in Kullatoppa forest, about 25 km from Sundargarh border, on September 24. Police also seized one .9mm carbine machine gun, three 12 bore DBBL (Double Barrel Breach Loading) rifles, two .9mm pistols and about 50 live bullets.
Speaking to mediapersons on Sunday, Sundargarh SP Pinak Mishra said they were tipped off about the presence of 10 to 15 PLFI operatives in Khukundubahal forest of Kuanrmunda block under Birmitrapur police limits. A police team raided the area on Saturday leading to the arrest of four PLFI operatives, while rest managed to flee. They have been identified as PLFI’s zonal committee member Arjun Rana alias Kapil Pathak (28), area commander for Koida and Barbil Karan Soy alias Surya alias Paulus Munda (22), Jageswar Singh (30) and Sundar Oriya alias Sulli (23).
Mishra said interrogation of the arrested PLFI operatives led to the arrest of Mano Kujur (39) with a DBBL rifle from Bimitrapur police limits, while Manuel Bhengra (39) was arrested from Simdega district in Jharkhand and Rajmohan Kishan (23) from Birmitrapur police station area on Sunday.
Police said Kujur is an employee of Rourkela Steel Plant. A DBBL rifle and 12 live bullets were seized from his house at Dumerjore in Birmitrapur. Kujur is accused of providing logistic support to the outfit, they added.
Earlier, in an encounter, Jharkhand police had gunned down PLFI operatives Radha Naik, Manish Surin and Lalu Lakra on September 24. PLFI chief Dinesh Gope, present at the encounter site, had reportedly received gunshot injuries. Jharkhand police had also seized a modified AK-47, LMG and carbine machine gun, but the PLFI chief could not be traced.