In a major operation on Tuesday evening, security personnel dismantled 11 underground shelters reportedly linked to top Maoist leader Misir Besra, who has a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head and neutralised seven high-powered Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the dense Saranda forests near Chaibasa in West Singhbhum of Jharkhand.
Police reports suggest that the bunkers were specifically constructed to house Besra and his team. “Adequate arrangements had been made to accommodate Misir Besra and his squad,” a police source said.
The shelters varied in size — measuring 25x35 feet, 20x25 feet, and 15x20 feet — indicating considerable logistical planning and effort. Authorities also uncovered six Maoist storage sites in the area. Items seized included a printer, two batteries, ammunition, a lathe machine, 18 metal pipes, 15 meters of electrical wire, and other everyday materials.
During an extensive sweep of the forested villages of Luiya and Bakrabera, located under the jurisdiction of Tonto police station, seven IEDs were discovered. Five of them were located on Monday and the remaining two on Tuesday.
“One of the explosive devices weighed 15 kg, two others were 10 kg each, while the remaining ones weighed 5 kg and 4 kg respectively. For safety reasons, they were defused at the scene by the bomb disposal team,” stated an official release from the police headquarters.
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This comes after a similar operation last Thursday, when five Maoist bunkers were destroyed in the Kalpaburu forest area under Jaraikela police station in Chaibasa. These hideouts are believed to have been used by CPI (Maoist) members following attacks or sabotage activities.
Before that, on April 5, security forces located and demolished 16 underground shelters used by Maoist rebels. The Superintendent of Police in Chaibasa revealed that each of these structures could hold between 40 and 50 insurgents, reflecting the scale of militant presence in the region.
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