Eight aides of splinter Maoist group held: Jharkhand Police

The police said Aamir and Aarya were first to be arrested on January 6 in Dhurwa, Ranchi. Sleeping bags, portable tents, PLFI pamphlets and Rs 3.5 lakh cash along with two SUVs were seized from them.

Ranchi SSP Surendra Kumar said three other suspects – Nivesh, Subham and Dhruv – managed to escape from the spot. A subsequent search at Nivesh Kumar’s residence in Ranchi led to the recovery of Rs 61.31 lakh in cash, a 7.65 bore open pistol and a large number of cartridges, the police said.

“From Jharkhand, the police went to Delhi where they received a tip off that the accused had fled to Bihar via Uttar Pradesh. All three were arrested from Buxar district of Bihar and the police recovered 19 mobile phones, five Aadhaar cards… They carried a few images of modern and sophisticated weapons, there is a possibility that they might have been connected with gangsters,” a police statement said.

Three others – Ujjuwal, Pravin and Subhash – were arrested in Ranchi. Ujjuwal worked in Khunti at a telecom company, the police said.