Top Maoist Misir Besra, Carrying Over ₹1 Crore Bounty, Arrested in Jharkhand

In one of the biggest breakthroughs in India's fight against Left-Wing Extremism, Jharkhand Police have arrested senior CPI (Maoist) Politburo member Misir Besra, one of the country's most wanted Maoist leaders, from Dhanbad district. Besra was carrying a combined bounty of more than ₹1 crore announced by multiple states and had remained on the radar of security agencies for decades.

Police said Besra, also known by his alias 'Sagar', was arrested from the Maniadih area under the Barwadda police station limits on Tuesday evening. A resident of Harladih village in Giridih district, the veteran Maoist leader was apprehended along with two other Maoist cadres during a special operation.

Security officials described the arrest as a significant blow to the banned CPI (Maoist), as Besra was among the last remaining top-ranking leaders of the outfit. He was allegedly responsible for coordinating Maoist activities across Jharkhand, Odisha and neighbouring states, and was considered a key strategist within the organisation.

According to officials, Besra was wanted in more than 140 criminal cases, including murder, attacks on security personnel, extortion, arms offences and other Maoist-related crimes. His arrest is expected to provide investigators with valuable intelligence on the outfit's remaining leadership, finances, logistics and operational network.

The arrest came on a day that also witnessed another major success for Jharkhand Police. Earlier, 16 Maoists surrendered before the authorities in Ranchi, signalling the continued weakening of the insurgent movement.

Among those who surrendered was Santosh Mahto, alias Basudev Da and Dilip, who was wanted in 128 criminal cases and carried a ₹15 lakh reward. Police said the group also included two sub-zonal committee members and two area committee functionaries, making the surrender a significant development in the state's anti-Maoist campaign.